


Lost in Drabbles All Alone

by PT_Piranha



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Pizza Place, Backstory, Cake, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Family Fluff, Father's Day, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Hurt/Comfort, Mama Luigi, Missing Persons, Pizza, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Pregnancy, Puppy Love, Round Robin, Spoilers, Tea, Traffic jam, Trolling, Wayne's World References, Weddings, crying like Nicolas Cage, satirical seppuku, soul seizures, spongebob references, tomato, top ten list
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-06-09 07:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 45,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6896467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PT_Piranha/pseuds/PT_Piranha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles from the FE14Drabbles blog on tumblr. You request it, we'd write it. These are the ones I've written. Can be about any character, can be any genre. Will contain spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lilac Foxes

"… What." Leo asked flatly.

Leo and his siblings had visited Corrin on several occasions as they grew, and that was time enough for all of them to notice how Corrin occasionally had… odd tastes. But this was unexpected. Here they stood in the halls of Castle Krakenburg, listening to Corrin's big announcement.

"Gunter and I are getting married!" Corrin repeated, just as happy as the first time.

"Yay! I'm so happy for you, Corrin!" Elise ran over and hugged Corrin. "Ooh, ooh, can I be the maid of honor? Can I? Can I?!"

Corrin ruffled Elise's hair. "Hahaha! We'll see, Elise."

Xander was awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, and noticed Camilla starting to sniffle. "Camilla, what's wrong?"

"It's just… I promised myself I wouldn't cry! Our little princess is getting married!" Camilla went over to join Elise in embracing their sister. "Oh Corrin, you're growing up so fast!"

Corrin gasped. "I'm, so, sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry, Camilla!"

"Oh don't worry about me darling, I'm just so happy for you!"

"Um… Well… congratulations… little pr… Corrin." Xander was not up for Corrin's pet name right now. "If I may, how did this come to be?"

"Hm?" Corrin turned back to Xander as her sisters let go. "Oh, well remember how Gunter and I play catch sometimes?"

"Yes…" Xander answered, apprehensively.

"Well, we used to have this deal where if one of us missed, they would have to do what the other said." explained the princess, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Xander winced. "And he missed, so you asked him to marry you? Is Gunter even okay with that? Corrin, there are just some things you can't ask of people."

Corrin shook her head. "Oh no, it's not like that Xander. In fact, I'm the one who missed."

"Uh-huh…" Xander was approaching a cold sweat.

"So he asked me if there were anybody in the camp I had feelings for, back when we were still at war." Corrin explained. "So we found out that we actually had feelings for each other! Can you believe it?"

"I'd rather not…" Xander said to himself.

"We decided to wait until after everything with Father and the war had started to settle before telling you. But we just couldn't wait any longer! We wanted you to be the first ones to know, so we could have your blessing."

"Well I for one can't wait to help with the preparations!" Camilla began to pinch Corrin's cheek. "You'll look so cute in your wittle dwess!"

"Ow."

"And I can still be the maid of honor, right?" Elise was checking in on her claim.

Xander breathed deeply and gave a hollow smile. "Well… I can see this means a lot to you, Little Princess. And it has been a month since the war ended, so I'm sure you've taken time to… grasp the situation… Very well. You have my blessing."

"Oh, thank you Xander!" Corrin immediately hugged Xander and ran off. "I'm going to find Kaze now, he's going to help me tell Hinoka and Sakura about this!"

"Hehehee! I'm gonna go tell Effie and Arthur!" Elise announced, running off. Now with only three left in the room, Camilla turned to Xander.

"Xander, are you really okay with this?"

The young king sighed. "Well, it's just… there's such a wide age gap between them. Corrin had even referred to Gunter as a father figure before. She begged me not to repeat that to our father." Xander paused. "… However, this is what our little princess wants, so who am I to deny her happiness?"

"Aww, you're such a caring brother!" Camilla teased. "Corrin always did like her silver foxes. Well, more of a lilac fox in Gunter's case." She then turned to her remaining brother. "What about you, Leo? You've been awfully quiet this whole time."

Leo began to blush. "Well… I was…" Sigh. "Since we're not in front of Elise, I'll tell you. My mind wandered and… I accidentally thought about Corrin and Gunter… together."

Camilla gasped. "Leo! That's… oh gods, I didn't even consider that! Corrin's innocence! My little sister is too young to get married!"

Camilla immediately bolted down the hall. "Corrin, wait! I don't want you to grow up yet!"

Xander sighed, and Leo hung his head. "I apologize, I didn't-"

"No, no. She would've made the connection sooner or later. Better she sort her feelings now."

"Very well. So, what shall we do now?"

"We've put our faith in our sister numerous times. One more time can't hurt." Xander said with a hint of a smile, this time a sincere one.

"No, I was asking what you and I shall do with our afternoon."

"Oh." Xander paused. "… A quick game of chess before my meeting?"

"Sure."


	2. Felt Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Beruka raised as a ninja because Wyvern Riders just don't say assassins at all.

"Get lost, brat. I ain't afraid to kill a child."

"…"

The man and his wyvern were sitting in an alley in Windmire. The wyvern slumbered as the man leaned onto it. He was counting money.

"I said scram!"

"…"

The little girl in tattered clothing would not move, she would not even speak. She only kept staring, with her cold, blank eyes.

"You think I'm just gonna fork this over? I worked hard for this!"

"…"

He could have picked up his axe and killed her on the spot. No one would miss another street urchin. But for some reason, he didn't. For the first time, the man looked into his eyes and he saw something he hadn't noticed.

"Okay, kid… I'll make you a deal."

Potential.

"They say if you teach a man to fish, he can feed himself for the rest of his life. I'm going to teach you my work. I see a lot of myself in you, so it just wouldn't do if I let you walk into other alleyways and expect the kindness of strangers to take over."

"… Do you kill people?"

That was the first she spoke to him. The man only grinned in return.

* * *

 

Months had passed. The girl was quick to grasp the art of lethality. As long as she vowed to follow his orders to the letter, the man would give her a share of his dinner until she could earn it on her own. But this was only if her progress was satisfactory.

Stealth training was the first step. If one wished to assassinate, they must remain undetected. There were different ways of hitting a mark, though the man's preference was to catch the mark alone and get them with a good, clean chop. Once the girl had learned to hide in plain sight, her instructor moved on.

"The first one's always the hardest. If you can do it, then you'll go far in this business. But if you can't… then get out of my sight. I have nothing left to say to you. And remember, I'll want proof."

The girl stared at the weapon she had been given. A small, bronze dagger. She was to find another street urchin… and eliminate them. If she had any right to call herself an assassin, she needed to start somewhere. Her master still believed no one would miss another Windmire urchin, hence they would be a good practice round, for applying all that she had learned.

The girl continued staring.

"… I'll begin the mission."

* * *

 

"Would you do it again?"

The girl had presented her master a torn-up doll, belonging to another street child. It was bloodstained.

"… If I must."

He grinned.

"Welcome to the guild."

* * *

 

She had learned all that he had to teach her by then. She would either learn the rest on her own, or die. The years passed. The girl, now a woman, had found a routine:

Wake up, receive job, train, infiltrate, kill, escape, receive pay, eat, sleep

This was all the world she knew, all life had to offer.

Which was why she was taken by surprise when she had received a contract from one of the guild's underbosses, subordinates to her master.

She was to kill the very man who'd raised her.

* * *

 

"I taught you everything you know. Did you think I wouldn't notice you there?"

The man was all alone. His house was a mess, his dining room ramshackle, his soup frigid. He gave a dark smirk.

"I knew you had what it takes, kid."

He sighed.

"I've torn apart dozens of families in my time. But… at least I was able to do something for one person."

The tired old man met the woman's eyes for the last time.

"I've known this was coming. Go on then. It'll be my atonement."

If the woman knew anything about emotions, she'd have supposed that this would have been a sad moment. But she felt nothing. Ever since she was left alone, she had stopped feeling anything.

She made it quick.

* * *

 

"Excellent work, er… Belka?"

"Beruka."

The new guild boss finished giving Beruka the pay for her mark. She had learned that as assassins aged, they were seen as liabilities. They were to be killed, lest they become a threat. She briefly wondered why they had chosen her as the one to kill him, but dismissed the question as unnecessary. It would change nothing.

Beruka grew tired of this. She failed to see any exit strategies from the guild that would not also have her labeled as a liability. It appeared as if she was condemned to serving these crooks for the rest of her days. If she could feel, this would upset her.

* * *

 

"Here."

Beruka fed a piece of meat to an aged wyvern, in the alley. It was her master's. She saw no reason to let the dragon starve and die alone without its old master. It recognized her, so cooperation came easily.

"Hey. You're Beruka, right?"

Pause.

"Who wants to know?"

Someone had come to greet her. With a side glance, Beruka could tell her visitor was a noble of some sort. But they wore a cloak, as if wishing to hide their identity. But only a noble would be so self-conscious that they would feel the need to hide the fact that they are hiring an assassin. She would scoff if she could feel.

"I'll make this quick. If you comply, I will pay you your dragon's weight in gold. Will you hear my request?"

Beruka said nothing at first. While she could not feel emotions, she certainly felt fatigued of this empty life. But the money was too good, and it was all she knew.

"Go on."

"I need you… to kill Princess Camilla."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next installment of Lost in Drabbles. This time, we get Beruka's backstory.
> 
> This was the second one I'd written in my trial period to join the blog. I'd actually given it a different title, but due to a mix-up, there was no title when the main mod received it, so they gave it this name. I like theirs better.
> 
> Hopefully this doesn't contradict too many details of Beruka's past. I like to research the involved characters as I write these, so I think I have most of it down. Also I tried some weird artsy thing where Beruka isn't called by her name until she kills her master. Something about killing her mentor and finally surpassing him? I don't know, it seemed like a good idea.
> 
> I already liked the character, but writing this gave me more of an appreciation for Beruka. And this is actually one of my favorites that I've written for the blog so far.


	3. Spicy Outside, Sweet Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Saizo x f!Corrin angst that ends with lots of fluff?

Since the war had ended, and Hoshido managed to overthrow the Nohrian forces, an era of peace had returned to the Eastern kingdom. Ryoma had taken the throne, while Hinoka was making her first move toward becoming the general of the Hoshidan military. Takumi and Sakura had also pitched in, both temporarily leaving the capital in order to travel the kingdom and help rebuild.

Corrin had also found her own role to play.

Despite choosing to aid Hoshido instead of Nohr, she could never forget her Nohrian roots. Betraying and overthrowing Garon would always be a bittersweet memory for her. As a child of two worlds, Corrin felt it would be good if she serve as a liaison between King Ryoma and King Leo to promote goodwill, and they agreed.

It was a little uneasy at first, some villagers still distrustful on either side would occasionally have cruel words for the princess. Her husband and companion, Saizo, would give them crueler glances in return.

For as many times as she would be making these trips, though, Corrin knew that she would have to pay a visit to certain people sooner or later. It pained her to relive those memories, but would pain her more to ignore their existence.

So one afternoon before she would leave Windmire and return to Shirasagi, Corrin stopped by the royal cemetery.

"Hello, Xander… Hello, Elise…"

Corrin stood between two graves in a Nohrian cemetery, right next to each other.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" No answer. "Things are going well for all of us. Leo's actually a pretty good king, and everyone really likes him. Camilla's also doing her part. She told me that she adopted eleven children. Can you believe it? Haha…"

She sighed.

"As for me, I… I'm living with my blood family now. And…" she was starting to have trouble speaking, "I… am helping them… and Leo with…"

She couldn't handle it anymore.

"Aaaaah! You didn't deserve this!" she began to sob. "I'm so sorry! I… I knew I was making the right choice, but I didn't know it would lead to this!" Immediately, a red-clad man appeared beside Corrin.

"Corrin! What's wrong?" asked Saizo. Corrin looked over.

"Saizo? I thought you were still at the guest wing of Castle Krakenburg.

"Hmph. Like I'd leave you unattended in Nohr, of all places." Saizo winced when Corrin hung her head. "Er… Not that I think something will happen, just… you can't be too careful. Even if Kaze and the butler are with us."

Corrin was silent for about half a minute. "These are their graves. You know…"

"I do."

"It's just that… I don't regret joining my family in Hoshido, and I don't regret meeting you. But sometimes I can't help but think that they'd still be alive if I'd only chosen differently." Corrin frowned. "But then what? Would Garon have destroyed Hoshido? Would he have tried to kill me again? And I don't even want to imagine the possibility of losing my other family, or you!"

"Hmm."

"I'm sorry Saizo, I know you're not one for being so emotional, it's just-"

"No. It's fine, Corrin." The furious ninja began to blush. "It's… part of why I love you. I sometimes envy how open you are about everything." Corrin smiled and immediately embraced her husband. Saizo became flustered. "Ah… caught me off-guard. I'm losing it…" Corrin laughed, and Saizo eventually chuckled as well. After a moment of this, Corrin broke the silence.

"You know, when we were all facing Garon… I heard their voices. Xander, Elise, Lilith, and Flora… I still don't know for sure if it was a dream, but… I like to think they've forgiven me."

Saizo nodded. "They have. They had to have. You're… the… you're…" The ninja sighed. "You're the best person I know. And you said it yourself, you believed you were doing the right thing. So… you know… I don't think they'd be mad."

Corrin's smile grew as she held her husband tighter. "Thank you, Saizo. You always know what to say." She let go. "You know, for an angry ninja, you can be a real sweetheart."

Saizo's eye widened. "Okay, let's not spread any false images, now. I just… don't think a frown suits you. That's all."

Corrin grinned. "In fact, you're so sweet, they should name a dessert after you!"

Saizo began to walk away. "This conversation is over." Corrin couldn't help but laugh, as she followed him.

They eventually made it to the entrance of the royal cemetery. Kaze waited diligently, with a warm smile.

"It went well, I take it?" asked the green-haired ninja. Saizo merely grunted and walked past, Corrin stayed behind, with a smile on her face.

"You have a good brother, Kaze. He's a good listener, and warm when he wants to be."

Kaze nodded. "He'd hate to hear you say that… But you're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the third drabble I wrote for my tryout period, and the last one before I officially became a mod on the blog. Though I'd actually been accepted before Felt Nothing got posted, due to the queue schedule.
> 
> This drabble was a tough nut to crack, I don't usually write romantic stories. Luckily, I think I was able to use Saizo's awkwardness to my advantage. I prefer my romances to be a little more subtle and maybe a bit awkward. This was also a chance to write dialogue for a Hoshidan character. Up to now, I've only written about Nohrians.
> 
> So even if this one might not be as good, at least we can say it was practice.


	4. Piece of Cake?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Elise x Takumi fluff where Elise bakes a cake with him but fails?

Takumi sighed.

"All right, let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" Elise cheered. "We'll make the best cake this army has ever seen!"

The archer pulled out a sheet of paper. "All right, then… We're making vegan chocolate cake."

Elise raised her eyebrows. "Whoa is that, like, double the chocolate or something?"

"What? No, it just means there won't be any dairy or eggs."

"Huh? I don't get it. How can we make a cake without any of that?"

Takumi had to keep from sighing. "That's what the recipe is for. Now, can we get started? First, we need one-and-a-half cups of unbleached flour."

"Un-what?"

"Good question… Okay let's come back to that later. Grab three fourths of a cup of sugar."

"Youuuu got it!"

Elise went over to the canister while Takumi continued to scan the paper he was holding. Vegan dessert would not be his first idea, but the prince fancied himself mature enough to just go with the flow, after all that had happened to him.

"There you go!" the princess chirped. Takumi took a closer look at the cup.

"… That's flour."

Elise's eyes widened. "It is?" She took a closer look. "Oh, guess it is. Oh well, we were gonna use flour anyway, right?"

"Well… yes, but we'd need more of it, then."

Elise shrugged. "Well okay, no problem!" She skipped over to the canisters to get more flour. Unfortunately, she made the reverse mistake… Instead of adding more flour, she had finally found the sugar. "This'll be a piece of cake! Heehee! Literally!"

Takumi rolled his eyes at the joke while Elise poured the flour and sugar from the same cup into the bowl. "Next, one 'tsp' of salt. … Tablespoon?"

She pouted. "Hey, I thought you were gonna help too! Reading the list doesn't count as baking, I could just look at it by myself if I wanted!"

"All right, fair enough." Takumi was really not in the mood for this, but still did not want to make a scene. He went to the spoon drawer and winced. "Hmm…"

It dawned on Takumi: He had no idea what a tablespoon was. He had never properly baked or cooked before. "Well… this spoon looks the largest, maybe that's why it's called a tablespoon…" He said, picking up a wooden ladle.

"Makes sense to me!"

Takumi went to the salt canister and poured out enough salt to fill the ladle, and then poured it into the bowl. Elise looked at the recipe again.

"Hey, are we sure that 'tsp' means 'tablespoon'?"

"Uh, yes? Why wouldn't it?" Takumi vaguely challenged her.

She kept her eyes on the paper. "Because later on in the recipe, 'tablespoon' is written out, but in other places, it keeps using 'tsp'!"

"Well maybe whoever wrote it was just lazy or something."

"Xander wrote this! He has the best handwriting ever!" Elise defended. "That's not even hero worship, he's actually won contests!"

"All right, all right! Look, let's just keep going. It's probably something that only makes sense to chefs anyway." Takumi took the recipe from Elise. "One t-s… one tablespoon of baking soda."

"What's that?"

Takumi gave Elise a flat look, but then stopped. "Actually… I don't know. Let's just skip that one for now. Three tablespoons of cocoa powder."

"Yay chocolate! I already have some chocolate sweets in my room, what if we just put those in the bowl? I know it's more than three spoons, but that just means it'll be even sweeter!"

Takumi put a finger to his chin. "Hmm… I don't see why not. Okay, you do that while I grab… a tsp of vanilla."

The princess gasped. "Don't say that Takumi, you might disappear!"

"No, I said 'vanilla', not… that place. Just go get your sweets." Takumi directed. Elise nodded while Takumi looked for the vanilla.

* * *

 

On the way to her quarters, Elise ran into an unexpected person. "Hey! You're Mr. Saizo's son!"

She had caught Asugi carrying a tray of sweets. "… Yeah. I am."

Then the lights came on in Elise's mind. "Say, it'd be faster if I just asked you! Asugi, may I please borrow one of your chocolates? Pretty please? We're making a cake!"

Asugi raised his eyebrow. "And what do you need a whole sweet for? Look, I know a thing or two about baking, and that's-"

 _Here comes the lecture_ , Elise thought to herself.

* * *

 

Takumi had his own hands full. He was not sure what vegetable oil was, so he had to improvise. Leo had once taught him how to make tomato soup, so Takumi was able to try some for himself.

Interpreting the soup as a form of vegetable oil, Takumi poured the completed product into the bowl, after adding some vinegar and water. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to go back and add baking soda and more sugar in the process, not that the prince had noticed.

"Sorry I'm late, Takumi! I tried getting some sweets from Asugi since he was closer, but he just kept ranting the whole time. But I got some eventually!"

She simply tossed the sweets into the bowl. "Wow, you got a lot done without me!"

"Aha!" Takumi found another ladle. "This tablespoon should do. The recipe said to stir it all with a fork, but I think this might work better."

Elise smiled. "That makes sense! This is so much fun!"

Takumi smirked. "You know what? It really is. This recipe isn't so hard once you get into it."

Takumi went to put the mixture into the oven. "The recipe said to preheat, but I'm not sure why, it'd just be too hot."

"Oh yeah, I had a really hot dessert once, and it burnt my tongue for a week!" Elise shuddered at the memory. "This is so exciting! Everyone's going to love our cake!"

"They sure will!"

They sure didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the first one I'd written since actually joining on as a mod. And it was right up my alley. Elise and Takumi were meant to screw up at making a cake. Since I don't know how to make a cake, that actually gave me quite a bit to work with. Also it had a good dynamic between the two, with Elise being the sillier one and Takumi being the serious one. In spite of that, they're both pretty foolish here.
> 
> The reason they're making vegan chocolate cake is because I searched "cake recipe" on tumblr and that is what I found.


	5. Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ryouma's reaction when he found out that Sakura is marrying Saizo

Sakura’s day had started out nicely. The morning was quiet, calm. She had woken up on time, tended to some injured soldiers (thankfully with only very minor wounds), and enjoyed a small breakfast with Hinoka.

Things were going well for Sakura, until she remembered something she needed to do.

* * *

Finding Saizo just outside Ryoma’s chambers, the maiden nodded and poked her head in.

“B-big brother?” The shy girl asked, her shy voice breaking the silence. Ryoma kept his eyes closed, but relaxed his expression.

“Ah. Sakura. What brings you here?”

Feeling only an iota of confidence at the thought of not being shooed away, Sakura nodded to herself and walked in. “Brother, I… _we_ have something we’d like to tell you.”

Saizo appeared almost out of nowhere. “She’s right, Lord Ryoma.”

“Saizo?” Ryoma recognized his retainer’s voice. Deciding to end meditation for now, Ryoma opened his eyes and stood up. “What is it?”

Sakura wanted to just give up and go back to her room. To just say ‘forget I said anything’ and leave. But Ryoma would have to know eventually. Might as well be now.

“S-S-Saizo and I… are… um… we’re…” She verbally flailed. “We’re…. getting married. And we would… we’d like your blessing…” Sakura closed her eyes and flinched. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you, I just-”

“Sakura.” Ryoma said with a calm, yet commanding tone. The girl in question looked.

“Y-y-yes?”

“It’s okay. Truth be told, I’ve known about your feelings for each other for some time now.”

This time, Saizo spoke up. “Lord Ryoma! But how?!”

Ryoma chuckled as he put his hand on Sakura’s shoulder. “Well… Not to suggest I can be stealthier than my most trusted ninja… But I happened to be around the corner when you were both confessing your love.” Now Ryoma was blushing. “I… felt you both needed your privacy.”

Saizo hung his head in embarrassment, and mentally noted that Ryoma shared his sister’s gift of making him feel foolish. And like Sakura, Ryoma did so in a way that did not devalue the ninja, rather endeared him to Saizo’s heart. They truly were siblings.

“Sakura,” Ryoma began, “I’m happy you’ve found someone whom you’d like to spend the rest of your life with.” He smiled and turned to Saizo. “And you too, Saizo. For years I’ve known you to be a good man. Sakura has brought this family much happiness. She would make you happy as well.”

“Th-thank you, Lord Ryoma…” Saizo blushed furiously.

“Y-yes, thank you, B-Brother.”

Ryoma nodded. “I suppose this means we’ll have to plan the ceremony. I will leave that to you and your retainers. I have a meeting I must attend.”

“Yes, milord.” Saizo bowed. Sakura also bowed in appreciation and the two left.

* * *

“That w-went well!” Sakura beamed. “I was worried he’d be mad." 

“Lord Ryoma is a generous man. That is why I take pride in being his retainer.” Saizo praised.

The shrine maiden tilted her head. “Wait… Won’t you be his brother-in-law once we get married? Would it still be proper for you to be his retainer?” She put a hand to her chin. “Come to think of it... You’ll need some retainers of your own, won’t you?”

Saizo’s eye shot open. “Uhh… that won’t be necessary. I’ll just be my own retainer.”

“Saizo!”

But the ninja was gone, as though he was never even there.

“Saizo come back! Y-you can’t hide from your future wife! That’s against the rules! I think…”

Yes, things were going to become very interesting in the royal family’s future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second "royal reacts to engagement" drabble I've written, and the second Saizo romance I've written. This is "Lilac Foxes meets Spicy Outside, Sweet Inside". That's all right though, it gives me practice with new characters. I still have more experience writing Nohrians, so this was good for me.
> 
> I specifically wanted Ryoma to be a supportive older brother. Overprotective older brothers are such a cliche. I figure Ryoma trusts Saizo, seeing as he is Ryoma's retainer, and he'd also focus on their happiness before his own comfort.


	6. Daydreaming Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Nina and her brother Kana get ambushed, Nina turns into a dragon after Kana gets hurt

This was bad, real bad.

"Kana, stay with me!" Nina shouted.

This wasn't supposed to happen. They were just going on routine patrol. But then they strayed a little further from camp than usual. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Nina thought to herself. _I didn't tell him we shouldn't go out this far, now he's hurt! I should've stopped him!_

They were surrounded by Faceless. Kana had turned into a dragon and fought off one that was about to strike Nina from behind. But in the process, Kana sustained a hit and reverted back to human form, weakened.

_I'm losing it! What kind of thief- what kind of_ older sister- _am I if my kid brother almost dies to cover me?!_

"Go… get 'em… Nina…" Kana said weakly. Nina had no doubt that Kana would recover from this, but the real danger lied in whether or not they could even escape for that recovery to take place.

"Don't worry Kana, big sister's got this! I don't see any Faceless, just some corpses! Hah!" She boasted, but it was hollow. She had only hoped Kana would buy it.

"Rrraagh!" the beast gurgled as it was struck with an arrow. It usually took two arrows to finish the job, unless she was able to get a real good shot in. This was not one of those times. She fired again. "Rrrrraaaaaa!"

The Faceless fell, but the others mindlessly kept up the assault. Nina's breathing grew heavy as she reached into her quiver.

"No… No, I'm out?! Already?!"

No more arrows. And while they were technically not surrounded by Faceless anymore, there were still enough to easily catch up to potential fleers.

"We can't die here! We… we…"

She was out of things to say. The four remaining Faceless all stomped closer to Nina. Kana's eyes widened.

"Urgh! Nina, watch out!"

Nina's eyes dilated. The Faceless pounced.

"NINA!"

" _RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!_ "

A dragon, one much like Corrin and Kana, had emerged in the spot where Nina once stood. Its roar knocked away the Faceless.

Kana watched in awe as the dragon that was once his sister slammed its tail repeatedly against the Faceless. She had gone berserk, wailing on the Faceless repeatedly.

"Wooooow! Nina, that was so cool!"

Nina merely roared and slapped her tail into a tree, knocking it over. She went back to attacking the Faceless, but they had already died.

Kana winced. "Oh no… What if this is her first time turning into a dragon?" A gasp. "I remember now, she told me that she'd never been able to do it before! And… if Mama and I had trouble with our first time… Hold on, Nina! I'll help you!"

The dragon went back to pounding on the Faceless. Kana carefully snuck over and pulled his Dragonstone out of his pocket. He still hurt from before, but his sister needed him. With stone in hand, he hugged one of his sister's hind legs tightly.

"I don't know what I'm doing, but I hope it works, Nina!" The stone glowed and enveloped the whole area. "Aaah!"

When the light stopped, Kana was clinging to Nina's leg still, though she had regained her human form. The last thing Kana saw was Corrin and a few soldiers arriving.

* * *

When Kana regained his vision, he was in his own private quarters. His whole family was there- Papa and Nina were there with smiles on their faces. Mama was sitting in a chair holding Kana's hand. She was asleep.

"Well, well, well. Look at my son, taking one for the team. You really worried your mother and me, you know." Niles said. "I told her you just needed some rest, but… she insisted."

Kana frowned. "I'm sorry papa, I didn't mean to. I just thought… that if we patrolled further, we'd see more things and be more useful." Then it hit Kana. "Nina, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah…" the girl blushed. "Don't worry about it. You're the one that got hurt!"

"Yeah, but you turned into a dragon for the first time! That didn't hurt you or anything did it?"

Niles' eye turned to Nina. "You did _what?_ "

Nina blushed harder. "I… hadn't actually told them yet, Kana… sort of waiting for the right time."

"Oops…"

But Niles just grinned. "Well if my wife and my son can turn into weird deer-lizards, why not my daughter? Heh…"

"Dad, we're dragons, not _lizards!_ Gods, you always have the weirdest way of describing everything!" Nina pouted. Niles chuckled, and it was infectious, his children soon joined in.

"Guess we have a special sibling power after all, huh Nina?"

Nina smiled.

"Yeah… I guess we do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I wrote this one, I started to have more of an appreciation for Nina's character. When I write these drabbles, I usually look at all relevant character supports, to get a grasp of how they would talk to each other, and so on.
> 
> She might be a little awkward around boys, but Nina's actually pretty good to male Kana, siblings or not.
> 
> My only fear with this drabble is how we change from Nina's perspective to Kana's. I wonder if that could be seen as sloppy. In my defense, a rampaging dragon may not be the best perspective character.


	7. Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My personal OTP.

"I'm glad we could finally spend some time together." Leo said at the table in his private quarters.

This dinner was a rare occurrence. Tonight was his turn to man the armory, but ever since Anna had joined the group, she had insisted on running it whenever possible. This left Leo with the task of checking the farm.

It was a cabbage patch, so there was only so much that could be grown. However, since he himself had joined, Leo had brought some seeds and enchanted soil so that he could grow a little something of his own:

Tomatoes.

Leo loved tomatoes. He loved them more than most loved tomatoes. It could even be said he loved tomatoes more than Garon loved all the women in his life, before he had changed.

Most people thought Leo just read in his spare time. They would be correct, but he had just finished a book earlier that day, so he found a little time for… this.

"You know…" He blushed. "I've memorized texts from all over the world. But all my studies have never prepared me for this. _You have taught me the greatest lesson of all…"_

Across from Leo, in the opposite chair, was a tomato. It said nothing, because it was a tomato.

Leo cleared his throat. "Well… That was… new. I don't usually lose my composure like that." The tomato still said nothing. It was still a tomato. "Please, my love… stay with me forever." the prince pleaded. The tomato remained silent.

"I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come on so strong. Take all the time that you need, I will wait for as long as I must. I have no illusion that I am entitled to be yours." Leo was such a gentleman to an inanimate foodstuff. The tomato said nothing. Leo took the silence as a sign that he too should be silent.

Dinner went on for a while without further discussion. The others would not understand, so Leo had no one serve the food to them. Instead, he had asked someone else for assistance earlier in the day. They instructed him how to make a nice dish for two. The prince conveniently omitted that this dish would be shared with a tomato.

Leo and his… date shared a small salad and some of Takumi's miso soup. Lately Leo's tastes have drifted eastward, thus he was willing to experiment. "How are you enjoying the soup, my darling? I know it might seem a little exotic, but times are changing. It would be good if we could get used to trying Hoshidan food. We might be having more, should our nations reach an understanding."

The tomato said nothing, because it was a nutritious snack, and not an actual person. "Oh don't look at me like that, I think you'll find that it's actually rather enjoyable."

In the corner of the room, an eye peeked out of a hole in a barrel. The eye winced and there was a slight shudder.

Inside the barrel, Nina stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"This guy's got issues!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blog recently reached 1000 followers, so all of the mods celebrated by each posting a drabble based on their OTPs. This one was mine. It was either write a Corrin/Flora fic or write this. I liked this one more.
> 
> Technically this was written before Blessing and Daydreaming Dragon, but didn't get posted until after them.


	8. Kilma's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Modern AU where Flora and Felicia work at a diner. Corrin is a regular customer and Flora helps Felicia get their phone number.

Welcome to Kilma's, a small family-owned diner out in the Nohrian countryside. It was a fine establishment. Its position in the middle of nowhere allowed for mostly travelers to dine, but there were some regulars.

Eventually, owner and founder Kilma retired, and passed ownership to his twin daughters. As the more responsible twin, Flora found herself doing more to keep the diner afloat financially, and ran things behind the scenes. Felicia stuck more to waitressing. Horrible as she was, Felicia lived for the smiles on customers' faces when she served them. Flora felt it best to let her keep those moments, away from the stress of managerial work.

* * *

_"WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT? WHOOOOOA!"_

Flora yanked the plug from the jukebox, causing a collective sigh from all the patrons. She turned to two teenagers. "Takumi, Laslow, I've told you before to stop playing the same song twenty-one times in a row. You've lost your jukebox privileges."

Laslow and Takumi slouched and went back to their table.

Dusting her hands, Flora walked over and saw a peculiar sight. It was her sister, babbling nervously to a young, white-haired customer. _Is Felicia talking to Corrin again? She's usually buzzing about. This is the third time this week I've seen her standing in place for so long._

Trying not to stare, Flora took out a small notebook in order to look busy. _In fact, now that I think of it, that's the third time this week Corrin has come here. Hmm…_

Flora decided to slowly approach her sister and their regular customer, to get a better understanding of the situation. Indeed, Felicia was talking Corrin's ear off.

"And, uh, so that's when I noticed there was a stain on the plate still, so I had to think of something, but the food was already on the plate, so I-"

 _Oh gods, she's telling the stained plate story again._ Flora had always suspected Felicia had feelings for Corrin. And as the overprotective sister she was, Flora felt she should know what Felicia was doing, especially if it was cutting into work. _But not here._

Flora went back to the office and pulled out her phone and texted Felicia. The sister put her phone away and estimated that it would take Felicia about ten seconds to notice the text, three to read it, eight to awkwardly leave Corrin, and ten more to show up.

* * *

Felicia arrived twenty-eight seconds later.

"Faster than I thought…" Flora said under her breath. Felicia raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, Flora?"

"Ah, well…" She had to find the right words. "I've… noticed you and Corrin have been talking a lot, lately."

Felicia's face turned red. "Uhh! Well, y'know, I…" She hung her head. "Awww. I'm sorry Flora, it's just… whenever I see Corrin, I just get so excited! Corrin's so nice, and never yells at me when I get the food wrong, and we both agree on so many things, and-"

Flora put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Hey, hold on. I'm not mad, Felicia. I was just wondering." Flora smiled. "You know, I'm actually glad you've found someone else, ever since Silas didn't work out."

"Aw, c-c'mon, sis…" Felicia insisted. Then she had an idea. "Say… could you… maybe help me?"

"Hm?"

"I… I want to get Corrin's phone number, but I don't know how! I'm not good at hiding my intentions like you are, Flora!"

After years of living with Felicia, Flora knew that her sister meant no harm with that insensitive remark. Instead, she ignored it and nodded.

"All right, Felicia. I'll help you. You just go back to work, and I'll take care of it."

* * *

Flora acted when Corrin finished eating and asked for the check. She went to the register and took care of business, then printed the receipt.

Glancing over the room quickly, no one seemed to be paying attention to her. She whipped out a pen and wrote something on the receipt. At the bottom, she wrote Felicia's phone number and signed Felicia's name, with a heart. Living with her long enough, Flora had learned how to forge Felicia's signature.

Normally, she would not just hand out her sister's phone number to strangers. But Corrin was a regular, and Flora had seen enough people at this job to know whether or not someone was trustworthy. Besides, Felicia was pretty tough, she could handle herself if she needed to.

And for good measure, she reduced the price of Corrin's lunch. She could make up the difference out of pocket. It would mean waiting longer until she could afford that new book, but Felicia's happiness was crucial to Flora. It was worth it. She would just tell Corrin that it was a special discount for today.

* * *

That night, Flora and Felicia locked up. Flora made her way to the car, and noticed Felicia was already out of uniform and waiting by the entrance.

"Felicia, aren't you coming?"

But her sister just smiled. "Oh, uh, no. A little while after lunch hour, Corrin actually called me! Except, it was while I was washing the dishes…"

 _That'd explain today's kitchen mess._ Flora nodded, prompting Felicia to continue.

"We're gonna see a movie together! The new one, _Long Time No See_! The one about the two friends and one of them is accused of betraying their country? Corrin's gonna meet me here!"

"Is that so?"

As if to answer Flora on behalf of Felicia, a familiar car pulled up. The driver-side window pulled down and Corrin's head stuck out. "Hey Felicia, hey Ms. Flora!"

Flora nodded. "Good evening."

Felicia ran up to Corrin's car. "Hi Corrin! Oh, uh… Can you hold on a second?"

"Sure."

Felicia ran back over to Flora and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you!"

She ran back to Corrin's car, got in, and they drove off. Flora stood for a moment, outside her own car, a smile on her face.

_Worth it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, Flora is my favorite female character in Fates. So I was glad to have a chance to write something about her for once. (Other than a small role in Northern Fortress Training Video.) The requester asked for both sisters to be waitresses, but as I wrote the world-building paragraph, the concept kind of evolved. They seemed to like it though.
> 
> Also I kept Corrin gender-neutral in this drabble. No particular reason. The requester didn't care which Corrin it was, so I didn't bother. A bit of a nice challenge to see how long I could go without identifying Corrin. Use your imagination.
> 
> Takumi abusing the jukebox is a reference to all those Fates stand-up videos on Youtube. One is a John Mulaney skit where he messed with a diner jukebox. I also reference Nina and Shiro's support conversations by having Felicia and Corrin see a movie adaptation. Lastly the title of that movie "Long Time No See" is an inside joke. It was meant for the other mods to see.


	9. Astral Parenthood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Azama x F!Corrin, can take place in any AU.
> 
> This is an AU where everything is exactly the same, except Silas has laser vision.

"Waaaaaaah!"

Little Mitama did not appreciate her parents' gift.

"Oh Mitama, this is a perfectly good pelt. I went through all this trouble to bring it here. Mommy even helped me with the flaying!"

Corrin shuddered.

The toddler ran, tripped, got back up, and then finished running over to a desk with parchment and ink. She spoke as she wrote. " _I don't like my gift/It is scary and smells bad/It wants to eat me!"_

"Ooh, your improvisation is getting better!" Azama clapped, ignoring the content of his daughter's poem. Corrin sighed. She loved this man, but he could be a little difficult at times.

She walked over and got down on one knee, placing a hand on Mitama's shoulder. "Mitama, don't worry. It can't eat you, it's not alive."

"But it used to be!" Azama added, pointing a finger up. "Though I killed it for you, so don't worry."

"F-for me?" repeated the little girl. Azama nodded. The girl pulled out another parchment. " _No more scary bear/My daddy killed it for me/And now I am safe._ Thank you, daddy. Thank you, mommy."

Corrin embraced her child. "You're welcome, Mitama."

* * *

After Mitama fell asleep that night, Azama had to practically drag Corrin away from her, so they could leave the Deeprealm. It was quiet between the two until they returned to the castle.

"I know you bother yourself, worried over what happens to our realm. So you should probably know that abandoning it completely to spend time with our child isn't a good idea."

Corrin sighed. "I know, it's just… she's our baby, and we're missing her life! She's growing up exactly like I did. She might be happy, but she doesn't get to see the world around her, or spend as much time as possible with her family!"

Azama nodded. "Oh yes, that was how you were raised. I recall now." He smiled. "Well luckily, she doesn't like to do much beside eat, sleep and write. So she's probably fine!"

"Azama… don't you ever miss our child?"

"Of course. But you heard what Lillian-"

"Lilith."

"-told us. This is no place for a baby, what with all the invaders. And even though everyone has to die sometime… I'd rather Mitama's time was later, rather than sooner." The monk nervously put a hand to his brow. "I suppose that makes me a hypocrite, doesn't it?"

Corrin grabbed Azama's hand with both of hers and kissed it. "No, it just means you're a caring father." She smirked. "Even under all that sarcasm and vows of life's futility!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Do you not think those are sincere?"

"Well, you did just admit that you value our daughter's continued existence." the princess teased.

"Ah. Well-"

"And you value me, don't you?"

Azama sighed. "Oh all right. I admit it, I'm rather attached to my family." He stood there for a moment. "Hm. Admitting it doesn't feel so bad."

Corrin smiled, and the couple embraced, followed by a kiss. "Now come, my dear. Let us use this night to meditate."

Corrin started running a hand through Azama's hair. "We could… Unless you'd like to do something… else?"

The monk grinned. "Ah! Yes! We should see if there are any bears that might interrupt our meditation! Good idea, my love."

Corrin sighed as Azama broke the embrace and went off to look for bears. Azama was difficult sometimes. But he always gave her a new perspective, and that was what she loved most about him.

"Wait for me, Azama! And, uh, let's not tell Benny about this, all right?"

"If you insist, dear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least once I wanted to do a joke AU where everything is the same except for one small/irrelevant difference. Silas really does have laser vision in this drabble. But he never shows up in it, so you don't get to see it. Sometimes I like that kind of humor.
> 
> Otherwise I was a little worried about writing Azama. He's mostly a troll, but not without some depth to him, and I wanted to convey that. Also, Mitama is the mascot character of our blog, so I felt like I had to include her in this prompt. Her parents' relationship with her ended up being the foundation of this piece.


	10. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Flora reacts to Corrin and Felicia getting married.

Corrin and Felicia's wedding was a small, quiet, but peaceful affair. Flora just felt so incredibly happy for Felicia. The older twin could always sense a spark between Felicia and their lord. They were a pretty good pair, in her opinion. They both wanted the other to feel on top of the world.

Flora was thankful that she was able to reenter her sister and lord's lives in time to bear witness to this.

* * *

After their encounter in the sea, Flora was ashamed. She felt as though she could never look Lord Corrin or even her own sister in the eye again. Sure, they had forgiven her, but Lord Corrin forgave everyone. That didn't make Flora right.

She took her mind off things with her efforts in evacuating the Ice Tribe. But when the evacuation had settled, Flora's mind did not. She could not stop thinking of what trials her sister and Corrin could be going through. Trials she was not helping them overcome, like a good servant. Like a good sister.

Corrin had sent Lilith as correspondence. While Flora was thankful to hear word from Corrin, she insisted that she had nothing to say back to Corrin other than well wishes. She had told Lilith and herself that it was because Corrin had enough to worry about. But in reality, she was scared of Corrin. Scared of the slight chance that he might take it all back and blame her for betraying him. She did not even want to imagine what Felicia might say.

But… she missed her sister. She missed her lord. She missed Gunter. She missed Jakob, whom had recently rejoined Corrin, according to Lilith. All of her friends were together, fighting this fight while she was back home. The Ice Tribe and her sister meant everything to Flora… but over the years, she had found that Corrin, Gunter and Jakob were dear to her as well.

Enough was enough. Even if Corrin and Felicia were mad, Flora had to know for sure. When she had assured that the tribe would go on without her, Flora waited for Lilith to return. The former maid asked that Lilith take her to see Corrin. She would make things right.

* * *

Jakob merely nodded. Corrin smiled and shook her hand emphatically. Felicia's reaction was the biggest, practically tackle-hugging Flora. Strangely, Gunter did not appear to notice her.

It took a very short time for Flora to learn that Felicia and Corrin had finally gotten engaged. Apparently they engaged before _jumping into the Bottomless Canyon_ , and agreed that they would wed when they both survived this whole ordeal. Flora sighed, but expected no less from these two.

* * *

The day had come, and Flora was pleasantly surprised that Felicia insisted on observing some of the tribal traditions for the ceremony. Perhaps she had underestimated Felicia's loyalty to the Ice Tribe.

So right there in the newly established Valla (a piece of land between Nohr and Hoshido), all of Corrin and Felicia's friends and allies began setting up an Ice Tribe wedding.

Ice Tribe weddings involved traditional garb for both parties. Though Corrin was allowed to keep his noble armor, Felicia wore her mother's wedding dress. It was a simple navy blue, with white fur lining. A little snug, but elegant.

One representative from both families would stand together and officiate. The two lovers would be given a heart carved out of ice and must smash it against the ceremonial altar. If it broke completely in half, that was good luck. Then they embrace.

* * *

After the wedding, everyone just mingled around the castle. While Flora had spoken to Corrin since reuniting with him, those occasions were infrequent. But now… he was her sister's husband. Flora needed to get used to talking to him once more.

She caught the happy couple subtly trying to escape from one of Arthur's anecdotes. She called for them. "Felicia? Lord Corrin?"

"Uhh, can you hold that thought, Arthur? We need to talk to my sister."

Arthur smiled. "Of course! To be continued!" He walked off, to Corrin and Felicia's quiet relief. They turned to meet Flora.

"I would just like to congratulate the two of you. I've always hoped you would find happiness together. And…" She hesitated. "I don't wish to offend your heritage, but Father and I welcome you to our family, Lord Corrin."

Corrin smiled. "Oh, Flora. I'm not offended at all! In fact… I always kind of felt like you and Felicia and I were family. But now it's official!"

Flora was struck. "Y-you did?"

"Indeed!" Corrin answered, nodding. "I know I had Xander and my other siblings. And also my family from Hoshido. But Felicia and you… and Jakob, Gunter and Lilith… you're all family to me too."

"Hehee! Now we have a lot of in-laws, Flora!" Felicia joked. "Our family's way bigger now!"

Flora couldn't help but smile. She knew Corrin forgave her long ago, but she could not forgive herself. And now here they were, with Corrin saying that Flora was family to him, even before marrying her sister. A tear ran down her cheek.

"Thank you, Lord Corrin."

"You don't have to call him that anymore, Flora. We're all related, now! You can call him just 'Corrin' if you want!" Felicia told her sister, beaming.

"Yeah. Like I said Flora, we're all family. Especially now."

The room temperature dropped as Flora kept crying tears of joy.

"… Thank you, Corrin. Felicia. And congratulations to you both."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow ended up writing another thing about Flora bearing witness to Felicia/Corrin within the span of a few days.
> 
> Of all the drabbles I've written for the blog so far, this one made me feel warm and fuzzy when I was done. Flora's still one of my favorite characters, so writing about her finding some measure of happiness was always the angle I wanted to pursue with this prompt. As I said in Blessing, I prefer supportive family skits to overprotective ones.
> 
> Also I decided to do a little world-building with the Ice Tribe. The goal for their wedding was to make it sound like something most Nohrians probably wouldn't do. And incorporate ice.


	11. A Shopkeeper's Lament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was not requested, I wrote it myself as a favor for another mod.
> 
> Anna and Mitama interact with each other.

_My peace has ended  
_ _Forced to run this lousy store  
_ _With Ms. Know-It-All_

"What are you writing?" Anna asked.

Mitama was standing behind the shop desk, writing a haiku. She was dangerously close to snapping her brush in half.

"… Haiku. Why have you come to torture me again?"

* * *

_Jakob was assigning tasks for everyone that day. It was usual for them to rotate tasks, to keep work fair and avoid complacency._

_Mitama stood with everyone else, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. Jakob stopped before her. "You are to run the Staff Store today. Report there after breakfast and see that you avoid falling asleep on the job."_

_"Butler makes his noise/Loud like all the little boys/My sighs are his joy." Mitama pouted in verse._

_"Think of me as you will. I will not let one slugabed hold back our entire operation."_

* * *

_"Whoa, what's all this?" the impish merchant Anna waltzed into the Staff Store like she owned the place. "I thought I told Jakob that I was doing all the shop work from now on!" She frowned. "Hmmph. You'd think as his boss's wife, he'd listen to me more."_

_The tired shopkeeper sighed, but did not bother to look up from a haiku she was trying to write. "Are you here to buy something?"_

_"Ha! No, no. There's nothing this store has that I don't have at least three of!" She closed her eyes, smiling. "Though you really should work on your greeting. You won't get any business if you're grumpy all the time. Just ask my sister, Anna!"_

_"I don't even care about selling anything, I'm just here because I must. Buy something or leave/Pick an item or get out/Or may lightning strike!"_

_The secret seller narrowed her eyes. "That attitude will get you nowhere, missy."_

_Mitama closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "This lowly Staff Store/My responsibility/Anna won't shut up!"_

* * *

The lecture went on until that afternoon, when Anna left to visit baby Kana with her husband. Mitama tried to forget about that day. And yet, here they were again. This time at the Rod Store.

"Oh don't be so dramatic, I'm actually here for a good reason this time!" Anna chirped. She set down a large bag on the desk. "I was given some Partner Seals, but I already have a surplus. How much could I get for these?"

Anna noticed how wide Mitama's starry eyes had opened and commented. "Hm. Well I suppose it is somewhat impressive to see so many at once. So, how-"

" _My poem- ruined/Anna and her garbage pile/The ink had not dried!_ "

Anna noticed that her bag was indeed now resting on Mitama's poem. She winced. "Oh dear. Sorry about that. Though in my defense, you really shouldn't have been writing on the job."

Snap. There went Mitama's brush.

" _It kept me awake/My poems were all I had/All that's left is rage!_ " Mitama recited. Anna began to wonder if the girl even _needed_ parchment and ink at this point. "Get out of my store this very instant!"

The redhead winced. She was not intimidated by Mitama (okay, maybe a little). But the woman knew when to fall back. She would just sell these Partner Seals at the Staff Store across the way.

* * *

_Mitama stood in a forest with a tiny Azama, a tiny Avel, and a rock wearing Rinkah's helmet. The tiny Avel spoke. "Congratulations, Mitama. You are the new Duchess of Izumo."_

_"Such news! I decree that everyone must sleep for ten hours minimum!"_

_Mitama and her tiny friends leaned back and forth for a few seconds._

_"Mitama, wake up!"_

"Aaah!"

Mitama found herself under a tree in Corrin's castle. She frowned. "Oh, simply a dream." Then she noticed who had woken her and frowned deeper. " _My dream has ended/The devil woman returns/Prepare for my wrath._ "

Anna stood in the tree's shade with Mitama, hands behind her back. She cringed. "H-hey you don't have to call me something like that! Anyway, I felt bad about what I did the other day. So I kind of dipped into my savings a bit and got you… this. Voila!"

Anna handed the girl a stack of small sheets, as well as an ink brush. The brush had a little ribbon tied to it.

Mitama was shocked. "Th-th-this is a new brush and parchment? For me?"

Anna nodded. "And that's not all. I sort of broke it in for you. I took a crack at writing one of your haikus. It's actually pretty easy, I can see why you like to write them!"

Anna pulled out another sheet and gave it to Mitama to read. The sleepy girl lowered her eyebrows. " _I'm very sorry/I'm very very sorry/I'm very sorry."_

"Not too shabby, eh? I even got the right amount of syllables on the first try!"

Mitama blinked once. " _Such simplicity/No nuance or subtlety/But I see she cares."_

The merchant smiled. "So that means…?"

"I accept your apology. I shouldn't have been so uninviting. It is not your fault that I disliked keeping shop at such hours." the poet conceded.

Anna sat down with the girl. "Yeah, but as a saleswoman, I should've reworked my approach. Telling someone what they don't want to hear is a big no-no in my work." She sighed. "It's just kind of hard. I've never stayed in one place for so long since I left home. I never bothered to learn how to deal with people for more than a few minutes. I've even upset Corrin, once or twice."

Mitama closed her eyes. " _The lessons were learned/The bridge is no longer burned/Thus peace has returned._ "

Anna smirked. "Well now you're just showing off!" She chuckled. "Say… could you teach me a little more about haiku? Corrin's birthday is coming up, and I need something mushy. He's such a sap, I love it."

This time it was Mitama's turn to smile. "Very well. But you'll take my next shift at the shop." She stuck her hand out. Anna took it.

"Sold!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blog regularly takes requests. Well I actually had a request of my own. I felt a little awkward asking for something. So when my request was taken by another mod, I wrote this for them as thanks. A drabble about two of their favorite characters.
> 
> These two are surprisingly fun to write, and it makes me think that they really could've given Anna more people to talk to in the game if they tried.
> 
> I also noticed that this plays out very much like a support conversation. Rearrange a few spots and remove Mitama's dream, and you have a beginning-middle-end of the conflict, just like a real support conversation.
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE:  
> In case you can't find it, here is a link to the blog:
> 
> fe14drabbles.tumblr.com
> 
> I post my drabbles there (not all of them are from me) and then after a while I repost them here. So if you want to see them ASAP, head to the blog.


	12. The Most Imoprtant Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keaton tends to a pregnant Camilla.

"Hey honey, look what I found!"

Keaton presented the bedridden Camilla with a dead squirrel. "Nice, right?"

Camilla sighed. "This… isn't what I had in mind."

The princess and her beloved Wolfskin had been so overjoyed when they had learned that they would be parenting a baby of their own. Camilla especially felt as though she had dodged a bullet, considering she had gotten pregnant very shortly after the war. A battlefield was no place for an expecting mother. Not if she cared to show their child even a fraction of the love she had given her siblings.

They had also found out that the child would take after Keaton and display more Wolfskin traits than human. One of them being a ravenous appetite for meat, which had incorporated itself into Camilla's recent cravings. However, dead squirrel was not quite the carnivore cavalcade Camilla had in mind.

"But it's such a nice catch! It'd even make a cute skeleton once you pick all the bones! Err, not that I'd call it cute…" Keaton blushed. "Unless you'd think so?"

Camilla smiled. "How about we just have Peri prepare us something?"

"Aw c'mon, surely there's something I can do for you!"

Camilla paused. "Hmm… Could you ask Beruka if she's finished doing background checks on all the educators in Nohr?" Keaton's ears drooped. "What's wrong, Keaton?"

"It feels like I can't ever do anything for you! All you let me do is make sure other people are doing things for you!" Absentmindedly, he started nibbling on the squirrel. "I mean," bite "I'm gonna be," bite "a daddy. I need to," bite "be responsible!" Bite.

He swallowed, having already finished the squirrel. Camilla glared. "I _had_ asked you to bring me meat! You're the one who turned it into a hunting trip!"

"Well I just figured the gesture would be more meaningful!" The wolfman shrugged. "And you like cute things, so I figured it'd be the best of both worlds! You get meat _and_ something cute! Meanwhile I get to be helpful for once!"

The princess gasped. "Keaton… do you think that I don't love or value you?"

"Well… I don't think you mean anything by it, but… I just feel like I'm not doing anything useful for you."

Camilla raised an eyebrow. "Oh that's not true! Keaton, do you know how many things I would attempt to do at once if this were Elise having this baby?"

"… Five?"

"Keaton, I would work myself down to the bone to the point where I'd look like those decorations in that cave we found! Elise would need her sister's help, and my little nephew or niece would be so adorable!" She sighed. "But since it's my adorable child, I can't be as active. At least not in these later months."

Camilla turned to face her husband. "Don't you get it? I'm giving you the most important job of all, to coordinate all my needs on my behalf!"

Keaton's tail started wagging. "Ahh! I get it now! Awesome, so I'm the most important person to you!"

"Foolish man, you knew that when I agreed to marry you!"

"Oh. Oh yeah." He started rubbing his neck awkwardly. "Well, I meant-"

"Hahaha. I know, I'm teasing you." Camilla waved her hand. Then her exposed eye narrowed. "Although I am actually incredibly hungry. If there isn't a steak in front of me within fifteen minutes, I will feed someone to Marzia."

Keaton raised an eyebrow. "Fifteen? Can you even cook a steak that fast?"

"Starting now."

"Uhh, I'll go find Peri."

And with that, Keaton was off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone requested a fic where Keaton tends to pregnant Camilla. What was interesting about the request was, due to the way they worded it, they didn't specify that Keaton and Camilla were married. They just wanted Keaton to take care of Camilla. But I just applied Occam's Razor. Someday though I'd like to use that loophole.
> 
> "Shockingly" I don't spend a lot of time around pregnant women, so I focused more on Keaton's perspective on things, about the actual tending to Camilla.
> 
> Funny thing is, this and two other drabbles all posted on the same day all had to do with pregnancy. Three separate people each asked for a pregnancy drabble without knowing each other. And two of them involved Camilla being the mother. The mods and I had a laugh about the coincidence.


	13. Night of the Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of Oboro and Ryoma's wedding.

"How crazy is it that you're marrying Lord Ryoma? You know he's the king, right?" Hinata exclaimed.

Before Hinata stood Oboro. She was dressed differently today, as a Hoshidan bride in ceremonial robes. She rolled her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, it's kind of hard to not know who my own groom is." She rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. Takumi walked in and grinned.

"And here I thought you'd wear them backwards."

"Hey! That was just once, by accident!" Oboro defended. Ever since their army had fought the treasure-hunting ghosts, people would not let her forget how she wore her clothes backwards. It was a blessing she could change quickly, or else she would look foolish the whole day.

Hinata turned to Takumi. "Who would've guessed Oboro would be the first one to get married? Our little girl's growing up so fast, Takumi!"

"Indeed she- Wait, what are you implying?" Takumi asked. Hinata shrugged.

"I dunno!"

"Well you're the one who said it!"

Oboro chuckled quietly. Even though Lord Takumi was her liege, he treated her and Hinata like friends. The playful banter put Oboro at peace.

The boys gave up their quarrel and Takumi's smile returned. "Well… It's now or never. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

* * *

Ryoma waited by the altar. He felt unprepared without his armor. But it was a time of peace. King Xander was even in attendance, as a show of good faith. As such, the Hoshidan king forwent his red armor and wore the traditional robes.

With Corrin and Azura showing the guests around, only Ryoma's sisters stood with him.

"Y-you look really handsome, Ryoma." Sakura praised. "Oboro will really be happy." Then Hinoka laughed.

"Haha! I'd hope so. She picked it out herself!"

Ryoma shook his head. "Not quite, Hinoka. Oboro actually made both these outfits herself." He smiled. "She said she'd use every last trick her parents had taught her, to make them her best work."

"That's so romantic…" Sakura mused.

Hinoka turned and noticed someone else by the altar. "Ah. Azama. I was wondering when you'd get here. You have actually done this before, right?" asked the older princess.

"Of course, Lady Hinoka. In fact, weddings are among my favorite duties. It's amusing how lovers act as though their love is irreplaceable, or that it was ordained by some cosmic force." He chuckled. "Laughable, really."

Hinoka hung her head and sighed. "I knew enlisting Azama wasn't worth saving the money."

"Hahaha! It's quite alright, Hinoka. I needed a laugh."

Hinoka forced a smile. "Well, I'm glad for you then." _Ryoma doesn't need to know that Azama was serious._

* * *

Night fell on Castle Shirasagi's courtyard. The ceremony began.

Takumi and Hinata proudly filled the role of Oboro's family, presenting her to join with Ryoma's. She first feared that no one would do this for her, then was moved to tears when her two best friends instantly offered.

Ryoma stood by the altar with his own family close by. Other than Takumi, all his siblings were present, finally including Corrin and Azura. Even if not by blood, they were still part of his family.

Azama stood at the center and cleared his throat. "So…"

Silence consumed the courtyard and all in attendance.

Ryoma and Oboro awkwardly exchanged glances before going back to Azama, whom stood in place, smiling.

"… I completely forgot what I'm supposed to be saying."

From where she stood, Hinoka put both palms to her face. Corrin and Azura sympathetically placed their hands on her shoulders.

"Well, we all know you're in love, otherwise we wouldn't be here. Good for you. You'll both die someday, and there isn't really anything unique about your love. Today really isn't that special, when you think about it. But still."

"Azama!" Hinoka stage-whispered through gritted teeth.

The man nodded. "Okay, I'll take this in a different direction… Both of you are very giving. You drive yourselves to take care of others, even at your own expense. I mean, you would be bad at your jobs if that weren't true-"

Oboro scowled. "Azama! Cut. It. Out!"

"Aaah! Demon! V-very well. Let us move ahead to the ceremonial sake."

Azama presented the couple with a cup of sake. Both of them drank from the cup and Azama smiled.

"By the grace of the Dawn Dragon, you are now married. Enjoy it until one of you dies!" Azama tacked on, though with sincerity.

Too happy to even register that remark, Ryoma and Oboro had huge smiles on their faces. They kissed, to the applause of everyone present.

* * *

The feast had come and gone, everyone had congratulated the two. Ryoma and Oboro's wedding was finally over. While most were adjourning for the night, the groom found his bride at a table and joined her.

Oboro chuckled, and Ryoma looked over. "What's so funny?"

"It's just… I'm still not over it. We're married now!"

"Indeed we are. Truth be told, I always thought I would be the last of my family to find love." The samurai smiled. "Funny how life works."

"Yeah… I'll admit, I'm still nervous." Oboro began to blush. "But I can't wait for us to start spending our lives together, and taking care of each other. And I'll make sure you always stay fashionable!"

"Hahaha! The most important part of our relationship." Ryoma joked. They both started laughing, then Ryoma spoke again. "Just as long as you don't have me wear my clothing backwards."

"Heheh! Okay, and in the meantime I'll see to it you don't look like a lobster with a bad haircut all the time."

And they just sat like that for hours, making each other smile. Just as they would for the rest of their lives.

* * *

"Lord Takumi, wake up!" Hinata barged into his liege's room.

"Aaah! What, what's wrong?"

"I just realized- Now I'm the only one of us three that isn't royalty of some kind! Isn't that kinda funny?"

Takumi stared. "… Goodnight, Hinata."

"Goodnight, Lord Takumi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got a request for Oboro x Ryoma and on their wedding. So I decided to take it, because I wanted some practice writing Oboro. She's actually a little more complicated than other Fates characters, so more practice is better.
> 
> This drabble was also a chance to give Hinoka a bit of screen time. Up until now, she was the sibling I've written the least about (not counting Azura, if she counts).
> 
> Takumi and his retainers seem pretty close, so I can imagine them offering to fill in for Oboro's parents at the ceremony. And even if not, well the mental image was too heartwarming for me to opt out. Speaking of heartwarming, I rather like Oboro and Ryoma's final scene in this. I would've been willing to stop there, but I really wanted to do that joke with Hinata.


	14. Super Sidekick Squad!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Percy, Dwyer and Ignatius do something together.

"I hereby officially declare us… the Super Sidekick Squad! Hip, hip…!"

Dwyer and Ignatius did not respond to Percy's prompt. The masked boy frowned. "Aw c'mon guys, please?"

Ignatius hesitantly raised a fist and weakly mumbled, "uh… jus…tice?"

"I thought you just wanted some coffee…" Dwyer moaned.

Percy pouted. "Guys, why aren't you more excited? We'll all be Justice Buddies together! The greatest of friends, fighting for justice side-by-side!"

Ignatius turned to Dwyer. "Um, have we even met?"

"No."

"Yeah I realized that my two best friends didn't even know each other, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone! We all become a team of heroes, and you both get to make a new friend!"

Dwyer narrowed his already-tired eyes. "Did Nina put you up to this?"

"Hmm. Well she did seem real supportive when I mentioned it to her. Why do you ask?"

"Figures…" Dwyer put a palm to his face. "I'm gonna go take a nap now, unless either of you wants a refreshment."

Ignatius perked up. "Oh, actually may I have some tea? I… I saw a huge bug earlier, and I'm still a little shaken. Very huge!"

"Sure…"

The Son of Arthur smiled. "Aha! See? You're already getting along with each other! Now come, fellow sidekicks! We must tend to Lady Justice while Pop recovers from that freak triple-lightning strike! Away!"

Percy ran off to find his wyvern, and Dwyer sighed, shuffling along. "He won't stop until I agree…"

Iagnatius was left by himself.

"But… my tea…"

* * *

Corrin was bonding with her husband in her private quarters. "Checkmate. I win."

"I already told you I wasn't playing." Saizo said. Corrin smiled.

"Yeah I know. That just means I'll keep winning!"

"Taking my turns for me doesn't cou-"

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Corrin and Saizo looked at each other in confusion and shrugged. The ninja peeked through the door's small hole and recognized the faces on the other side. "Some kids from around camp."

"You can come in!" Corrin called.

After the door opened, Percy jumped and rolled in. Ignatius tried and failed to imitate, while Dwyer just casually walked.

"Men!" Percy shouted. "Introductions!"

Each struck a pose as they announced their names, though Dwyer did not give effort.

" _Percy!_ "

" _Ignatius!_ "

"Dwyer."

"And together we are…" the masked boy started, prompting all three to speak at once:

_"エリート戦闘力: スーパー相棒分隊!"_

_TOKU-SENTAI_

_TOKU-SENTAI_

_TOKU-SENTAI_

"Uh…" Corrin tilted her head. "That was… some impressive Hoshidan… Did you boys come to put on a show for us?"

"… Do you want one?" Dwyer asked. Percy then spoke up.

"Nosiree! Er, no ma'am…ee? … We're here to fulfill justice around the camp while Pop is out of commission! … So y'know, since you're the boss, I figured we'd ask you what we can do."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you Percy. You too, Ignatius, Dwyer."

"Uh, thanks."

"Whatever."

Corrin put a finger to her chin. "Hmm… Well Arthur was going to run the lottery shop today. You could do that."

"Very well! Onward, my comrades! Justice awaits!" Percy bolted out the door, while Ignatius and Dwyer reluctantly followed. Corrin smiled.

"He's a good kid."

"He's too much like his father." Saizo griped.

"You're just jealous because Asugi isn't very much like you."

"N-n-no! It's just… well…"

* * *

And thus, the Super Sidekick Squad spent the next three hours manning the lottery shop. No one came during any of that time.

"I hate lottery duty. I always get stuck working here. Now even on my day off." Dwyer complained.

"Have no fear, Dwyer! I have a solution!" Percy proclaimed. "We will spin manly yarns, and inspire ourselves to work even harder!"

There was a crashing noise and Ignatius tensed up. "Wh-who's there?!"

"That barrel fell over." Dwyer commentated. "And now it's walking away."

The barrel had indeed started walking away. Percy gasped. "Could it be a thief? We must defend the Dusk Lottery!"

Percy ran over to tackle the barrel, but a girl's voice broke out. "No, stop, I'll leave!"

"Huh?"

"What?!"

"Muh."

The barrel removed itself revealing Nina. She started frantically muttering to herself. "S-sorry, it's just… _three hours_ and Dwyer and Ignatius still haven't so much as looked at each other? This is clearly not worth my time."

"What is she saying?" Dwyer asked.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Nina, what appears to be the trouble? Were you hiding from an even bigger threat?"

The girl sighed. "… No. No I wasn't."

With that, she made her escape. Percy smiled and turned back to his sidekicks. "Well done, Super Sidekick Squad! Justice has been served!"

Ignatius raised an eyebrow. "It has?"

"Sure it has! Anyway… it's getting dark, so we should close shop for today. But let's do this again sometime!"

Ignatius looked at Percy thoughtfully. "That… wouldn't be so bad. I actually had some fun today. What about you, Dwyer?"

Dwyer was already asleep. Percy smirked.

"Want to let him close the shop?"

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mods and I were talking. Percy, Ignatius, Dwyer and Izana were the last few characters to not have any drabbles written about them. So I took it upon myself to write this. Percy can support with both the other two here, while they can't support each other. So going by that, I figured this would be about Percy trying to get both of them to do something together.
> 
> So naturally they turn into a Super Sentai-type anime. Of course.
> 
> Once more, my profile contains a link to the blog. My drabbles appear there first, then are reposted here.


	15. No Me Guesta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A drabble all-about Izana.
> 
> Izana deals with some houseguests.

The conquest of Hoshido was going swimmingly. Mostly. Sure, Corrin had not succumbed to despair, but Iago was certain it was a matter of time. In fact, he had a new idea that involved Faceless and the Eternal Stairway.

However, transporting King Garon had proved rather taxing. Then Garon had ordered him and Hans to stay back, by themselves. They could more easily torture Corrin from in the shadows. At least until Fort Jinya.

And while Iago had no concern for Hans' temper, he grew tired of the general's constant complaining. They _had_ been marching for quite some time. Iago figured they could do without rest that day, but he was beginning to regret it.

"Well what do you want me to do about it? We do not have a safe place to hide. What do you suggest if you're so smart?"

Hans shrugged. "I'uh'o. Izumo? They're close by. Their duke is a pushover, he'd let us stay."

"Oh really? Even after what Zola did to him?" Iago questioned. Hans chuckled.

"Yeah. He had both the royal families eat dinner with him. Right after he executed Zola."

"Hmph. This won't work at all. In fact, I'll indulge you and we can go to Izana himself. Then you'll eat your words!"

* * *

"Nice to meetcha!" Izana shook Iago and Hans' hands enthusiastically. "You heard right, we don't believe in violence here in Izumo!" He stopped. "Well, not that I don't enjoy a good fight every now and then, but why fight when you can party?"

Iago hung his head backwards. "I cannot believe this is happening."

"So you say you're both Nohrian? What a coincidence, some of my last guests were Nohrian! Little Princess Elise sure knew how to have a good time! If you really do work for the royal family, then I owe it to ya to let you stay the night!"

"He's so obnoxious…" Iago hypocritically said, under his breath. Izana put an arm around him as though they were lifelong friends.

"C'mon, I'll get someone to show you the guest room! It'll be great!"

"Oh… fine! But just for tonight!"

* * *

_One Day Later…_

Iago was sprawled out on the futon, while Hans sat at a small table, shoving rice into his mouth, ignoring the chopsticks. One of Izana's servants came in.

"Um… weren't you guys leaving today?"

A look of horror flashed on Iago's face. "Mm, about that… We, er, we need a little more time, we're…"

"We're more tired than we thought, now get out!" Hans roared. The servant gulped and left. Garon's cronies laughed evilly.

"We should've done this ages ago, Hans. The food, the beds, the massages…"

"Yeah, that whelp Zola sure had it good. How long 'til you gotta mess with that albino brat, huh? We can wait a few more days, right?"

The sorcerer waved his hand. "Oh, there's time to kill until I need to be at the Eternal Stairway. Let's enjoy ourselves for once."

* * *

_Several Days Later…_

And so Iago and Hans lived it up as they grated on the nerves of each of Izana's servants, until only Izana himself remained. The archduke took it in stride at first, seeing this as a challenge for his hosting abilities.

But even the most gracious host had limits.

"IZANA!" Iago called from his and Hans' room. "WHERE'S TEA?!"

"Coming…" Izana said, fatigued. He made it to the room, with Iago's tea. There was a lemon on the cup. Iago squinted.

"Why aren't you in uniform?"

Izana sighed and left, coming back with the tea, but re-classed as a butler. "Here you go, _your majesty_." Sarcasm dripped onto his words.

"I can't drink that! That lemon has three seeds! You know how I feel about odd numbers!" Iago complained. Izana growled.

"Fine."

He began to pick a seed off the lemon, but the wizard slapped the cup away. "NO! It's already ruined! It won't work!"

"Oh! Funny you say that! I know two other things that 'won't work'!"

Hans burped, now holding a tray of bones. "Hey Izana, take this tray away! And when you come back, I want my fortune told!"

"We-ell why wait? Let's get that bad boy read right now, huh?" Izana came over and swiftly took the brute's hand, reading the palm. "Hmm, yeeeah… Not good."

"Well? Out with it!"

"You and your friend… are going to leave _veeeery_ soon! Yep!"

A clock chimed and Iago perked up. "Midday! Izana, you had better be prepared for that shadow puppet show you promised!"

Izana's eye twitched as he dimmed the lighting, providing optimal shadow puppet atmosphere. He switched from one shadow to another, to emulate a conversation between the two.

"Hey where are you going, friend?"

"Oh I was just leaving. That's what I do when I have no reason to stay, and other people are waiting for me. I leave! To meet them!"

"Wow! How do I leave?"

"It's easy! Especially if you wear half a mask and drag a big oaf after you! You just get out of bed, walk outside, and keep going!"

Hans ate a drumstick and burped. "This show is terrible! I'm bored!"

That was it.

"You know what?!" asked the angry Onmyoji, "I have another idea! You know what I do when I'm bored?! I leave! I leave and I go somewhere else! But when I go somewhere, I don't stay too long or ask for too much because, as a host, I know what makes a bad guest! AND YOU ARE VERY BAD GUESTS!"

Iago squinted. "… What are you implying?"

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Izana ran all through the Hoshidan countryside, dragging Iago and Hans behind him. By the little bit of godly power from his ancestors, he made incredible progress and caught up to King Garon's procession in nothing flat.

"HERE! GARON! TAKE THESE TWO!" He threw the henchman to Garon's feet. "THE BURDEN OF HOSPITALITY IS TOO GREAT FOR IZANA! THEY ARE NOT WELCOME BACK!"

Garon scowled. "Iago. I told you to make Corrin suffer. You defy me and lounge about in Izumo?!"

"Err, I can explain, your majesty! I-I-It was Hans' idea! I insisted on going to the Eternal Stairway, but-"

"Enough! Get out of my sight. I don't wish to see you again until you've brought misery to that child."

"O-Of course, your majesty." Iago said. With that, he ran off.

* * *

Something inside Izana changed that day. Never mind how the stress had ruined his perfect hair, the archduke had finally understood the suffering Nohr was inflicting unto others.

This had gone for long enough. Izana knew only one way to end the reign of Garon and the horrible houseguests he called minions:

Garon must be stripped of rank.

A while ago, Izana had overheard Corrin and some blue-haired woman talk of dethroning King Garon. How Izana would love to see that. With this goal in mind, the divinity in Izana's veins resonated, and spirited him away to the astral plane.

And the rest was history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just like Super Sidekick Squad!, this one was just an excuse to write for Izana. It also gave me the chance to write for Iago and Hans, everybody's least favorite evil retainers.
> 
> The idea was that it'd be like the Spongebob episode where Squidward was mooching off Spongebob, but with all the buildup and the different ending, only the middle part of the story could really follow that mold. And then the ending made this whole thing a backstory for why Izana joins Corrin in Conquest.
> 
> Not one of my favorites, but I get a kick out of the mental images this one provides.


	16. Of Carrots and Cleanliness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flora and Siegbert have a fluffy mother/son moment.

Flora might have been the new queen of Nohr, but old habits would die hard.

The blue-haired woman had an urge to tidy up any room she was in, or neaten up Xander's clothes as they spoke. Xander insisted that she did not need to do this, but Flora could not help herself. She was not as strong as her sister or husband. The skills from her time as a maid were all she had.

Xander eventually stopped trying.

During one instance of unsolicited tidying, Flora noticed how the doors to Siegbert's quarters were opened.

"Siegbert?"

The queen stepped in, noticing that her son was talking… to a carrot. He did not notice his mother calling his name.

"Siegbert?" she called again.

The boy tensed up. "Ah! Mother!"

"Son, why are you talking to that carrot? Have you been talking to Uncle Leo?" She shuddered, remembering that time she walked in on Leo having dinner with a tomato. As in, treating the tomato as a guest.

"N-no, Mother. You see… Father told me that whenever I got nervous, I should- Mother?" Siegbert paused. His mother had immediately started making the bed.

"It's all right, I'm still listening."

"Oh… okay… Well, anyway, Father told me that whenever I feel nervous, I should imagine the other party as bunnies. Except, when I did that- Huh?"

Flora had started brushing Siegbert's cape. "Sorry, I just saw some stray hairs in your cape. Keep talking."

"Um… I kept thinking about carrots instead of rabbits, so I figured I would actually practice talking to a carrot, to try to-"

"Oh! Son, there's a little bit of food in your teeth. Do you want me to get that?"

"N-no, Mom! I mean Mother! I'm sorry, the Crown Prince shouldn't refer to his mother in that way or in that tone! I bet Father never spoke to _his_ father that way…"

Flora stopped for a moment. She set down her cleaning implements and Siegbert turned to face her.

"Well, your grandfather was a heartless tyrant, Siegbert. Well… sort of. It was complicated. But more importantly, are you envious of your father? I know you don't talk to me about it, but I'm not deaf. I hear when you compare yourself unfavorably to him."

Siegbert's eyes widened. "Oh, not at all, Mother! I'm not jealous of Father. I just feel that I must be more like him, then I will be a sufficient ruler when I must inherit the throne."

Flora stood still for a moment. Then, she started laughing. "Hahaha! Hahahahahaha!"

"Mother?"

"Oh, come here." Flora embraced her son, much to his surprise. "Oh Siegbert, my son… You sound just like I did when I was your age."

That caught Siegbert off-guard. He did not vocalize it as much, but the prince felt that his mother was every bit the paragon his father was. Her work ethic, her composure… His parents were perfect for each other, in his eyes.

"Growing up, I always felt inadequate next to my sister."

"Aunt Felicia?"

The queen smirked and let go of her son. "No, our secret triplet sister that I never told anyone about. Yes, silly goose, your Aunt Felicia!"

"O-oh."

"In the Ice Tribe, you're trained from a young age how to wield weapons and use them in combat. My sister was always more proficient than I. And while he might not have meant to, my father made me feel as though I was lesser."

Siegbert gasped. "But Mother, you're not inferior at all! I see you the same way I see father!"

Flora nodded. "You're right, I'm not inferior. But it took me a while to realize it. Even into adulthood, I think it weighed on my mind. And I can see it in you. You're not inferior to your father or me."

"You're right…" The prince sighed. "What a shame. After my talk with Father, I'd hoped I would overcome these feelings."

Flora put her hand on her son's shoulders. "I think it's definitely helped. He gave you the carrot idea, after all… mostly." She looked off to the side, the vision of her son talking to carrots confusing her. "But habits aren't easy to change. Just look at me, I was doing maid work in the middle of our conversation!"

Siegbert raised an eyebrow. "Is that a form of your feelings toward your sister too?"

Flora blushed, and closed her eyes. She sighed. "Well… yes. When we were maids and I was jealous of Felicia, I grew to appreciate my superior domestic skills. They were the one thing I had over Felicia. I know better now, it's just… When you've been a maid so long, you can't help but clean."

"Hmm. How about this, Mother?" Siegbert offered, "I will stop trying to compare myself to you and Father, and you stop cleaning and let the staff do it?"

Flora gasped, but quickly composed herself. "If… if that will help my son, then yes. I will lead by example." She smiled. "But also, if you could close the door next time you talk to a carrot…"

"Ah. Yes…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favorite characters paired up with one of the characters I don't particularly care for. That said, I think this went well.


	17. Razor Tongues Think Alike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles and Azama interact.
> 
> They decide to put their similar talents to "good" use.

Niles sat outside the empty prison, having no prisoners to mess with. All day he'd give remarks to passersby. Some comments were kept to himself. Some were decidedly not, like when a certain monk walked past, carrying a pickaxe and a bucket of emeralds.

"Well if it isn't Azama. Must be nice to get babysat by Hinoka."

Azama's eyebrows perked up. "Ah, a challenge! You must be Niles. I'm afraid I'm a little too busy at the moment to feel uncomfortable, thereby making you feel better about your miserable childhood. Perhaps another time."

Niles raised his eyebrow. He did not like Azama so acutely figuring his angle, but was impressed at how casually the monk had brushed him off. This might be interesting. The outlaw shrugged. "I see how it is. Off to find more children to make cry?"

"Oh no, not today. It just so happens Lady Hinoka wanted some emeralds, and was busy. I can be a loyal retainer _sometimes._ "

"Guess there's a first time for everything. Of course leave it to a Hoshidan princess to sit on a pile of emeralds." Niles spat.

"And leave it to a Nohrian prince to hire a blatant criminal to serve at his right hand. Speaking of, are you standing outside that prison because you broke out?"

"Maybe I did. Maybe I need to be _punished_ , Azama. Maybe I'm a _baaad_ boy."

Azama kept smiling. "Oh, no maybes about it. You're definitely a scoundrel."

Then, everything went silent. The two retainers stood there for a moment, with no more words between them. Not until Niles broke the silence.

"… We appear to be evenly matched."

"Indeed."

"You know, we could really fluster some people," he began, "if you're interested."

"Ah, an alliance! I like the way you think." The two walked close and shook hands.

"Azama," Niles grinned, "this is the start of a beautiful partnership."

* * *

"How about him?" Niles asked, pointing at Hayato practicing a spell. Azama shook his head.

"Only if you want him to counterattack with a spell." The monk pointed to Felicia. "Perhaps the maid?"

Niles shook his head. "She's too flustered already. It's overkill."

Another, more feminine voice rang out. "UH! Who just leaves half-eaten food on the table?! A dog?! No, because that would be an insult to dogs!"

Niles and Azama both got the same look. "Hmm…"

"Azama, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think about everything. But I do believe I know what you suggest."

* * *

Oboro stood furiously in the mess hall, cleaning tables. "This is asinine! Why are there twelve trays by one seat?! Was it Effie?! Now I must clean all these before I can finish the tables, which will cut into preparing the meals, which will delay dinner!"

"Oh Oboro, I'd thought you had company in here, but it just turns out you're talking to yourself!" Azama popped in. "How delightful that you can be accepting of your craziness."

She stopped. "What?"

"Well I mean who goes and just talks to themselves like that?" asked the monk. "Not normal people."

The fashionable warrior took a deep breath. "Azama… I am not in the mood for this."

"Oh lighten up!"

"Don't you screw with me right now!"

"What's this about screwing?" Niles barged in. "Oboro, please, whatever's between you and Azama, surely you can be more private."

She grunted. "Like you're one to talk!"

The outlaw grinned, as did Azama. Niles cleared his throat. "So, you don't deny the implication? Make no mistake, I didn't mean to interrupt what the two of you had going."

"Wh-what are you saying?! It's _not_ like that!"

The cyclops put a hand to his chin. "Is that why you're blushing?"

"I'm blushing because I'm being accused of something indecent!" Oboro turned to face Azama. "Why aren't you denying any of this?!"

The monk merely shrugged. "Honestly, I thought he was referring to you speaking to yourself. Because you do that. Like a crazy person."

"Just you and yourself? Ooh, don't mind me then, we'll leave you to it." Niles said, walking out. Oboro nearly stuttered and turned to yell at the only harasser left, but Azama had already vanished.

"Oh they are _so_ not getting any food tonight!"

* * *

Niles and Azama were laughing it up by the Dawn Lottery. "Ohhh, _yes!_ " He chuckled. "That was exhilarating, the way we got to her like that."

"It was! And your bawdy remarks flustered her so much, she couldn't even make that scary face of hers!" Azama looked up at the sky. "Well it appears to be getting late, and I must tend to the armory soon. But this was fun! We must do it again sometime."

"Good evening, you two." Said a familiar voice. Niles and Azama looked over and saw Oboro again, but she looked different. She was no longer a Spear Fighter, but a Basara.

"Ooh, all dolled up just to see us? I'm flattered, but I know what'd look better on you." Niles teased.

Oboro gave them a deadly serious look, but not her full-blown scowl. "After getting _my husband_ to cover for me at the mess hall, I spoke to Lady Hinoka _and_ Lord Leo about your conduct. Pretty easy to find them both, considering they've been spending a lot of time together. They both said I could take matters into my own hands."

Niles blanched. "You told Lord Leo?"

Azama privately smirked at the way Niles still regarded his liege so highly. Oboro kept talking and pulled out a scroll. "Yep! And I found a Master Seal like I'd always wanted! Now, I'm going to try a little something I learned from Nyx."

Niles' eye widened. "Oh no…"

"Hm?" The monk turned to face his partner. "What is it?"

" _Theag eln snouci!_ "

Oboro's incantation created an echo as she read the scroll and then flicked her wrist in Azama and Niles' general direction.

Azama was about to ask what happened, but could not form words. He saw Niles and found that the man had a look of resignation, as if this was nothing new. Oboro smirked. "And now you can't talk until I lift the curse… in a day or two."

Niles winced, and Azama nearly opened his eyes wide open.

"Hm-hm! If there's a next time, I won't even bother lifting the curse. Now, my husband needs me at the mess hall. Bye!" Oboro walked off, chuckling victoriously. Niles and Azama were left alone, defeated for today.

Of course… this meant war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the mods on the blog have requests of their own, because they want to see something done, but aren't really able to grasp it themselves.
> 
> So one of the mods and I decided to take on each other's requests. They wrote an angsty piece about Hinata and Oboro surviving Conquest Chapter 23, while I wrote this. So Oboro kind of has it rough in both drabbles. At least she got the upper hand here.
> 
> The prompt was two of the biggest trolls in the army interacting with each other. First it was going to be a contest to see who could be a bigger jerk. Then it was going to be a contest to see who could go the longest without being a jerk. Then I just decided on having them team-up. Tag-Team Trolling, the sport of kings.
> 
> There was going to be a line from Niles where he describes himself and Azama having a "Jerk-Off" (contest to be a bigger jerk) and someone else misunderstanding him. I liked the joke, but couldn't find a place for it.
> 
> And I have to say, Oboro's a pretty fun foil to the two of these guys. Helps that they can both support with her.


	18. Kitchen Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M!Corrin x Peri
> 
> Peri breaks down from pent-up guilt, and Corrin comforts her.

Prince Xander's retainer, Peri, had plopped down on the floor in the fortress's kitchen, bawling her mismatched eyes out. Tears slid down her cheek and onto the floor.

"Waaaah! I'm just like him! I didn't mean to, it was just fun! I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to! Hh-hh-huuuh!" Her crying was getting more intense as time went. "Now someone else doesn't have a mommy or maybe a daddy, and it's my fault!"

Corrin came running in. "Peri, are you okay?!"

Peri hiccupped. "C-Corrin?"

The prince knelt down to be closer to his wife. "Oh Peri… Kagero told me she heard you crying, and I came right away! Are you hurt?!"

"N-n-n-no!" She said with a sniffle. "I was… I… I…" Her explanation devolved into another sob. Corrin's heart ached just from the sight of her. He proceeded to sit on the ground and helped Peri sit up. With his arm wrapped around her shoulders, he gave her something resembling a hug.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, Peri. You can just cry if it makes you feel better."

Peri slightly turned to wrap both arms around Corrin and took him up on his offer. She cried and cried until her eyes had dried up, though her breathing was still out of sorts.

"Th-th-thank you, Corrin. St-stupid Laslow…" Peri muttered. Corrin gasped.

"Did Laslow make you upset?"

Peri broke the hug and nodded. "Uh-huh! B-but not how you'd think. W-we were talking about… about how I like killing." Her husband nodded in response, encouraging her to continue, and hiding his discomfort. He had wished to curb her homicidal tendencies, and even worked out a plan with Silas. But in his heart, Corrin knew he would love Peri no matter what. "And… I told him about… about Mommy."

"I see…"

"And… and… and…" She fought the urge to cry again. Peri needed to be honest. "And he said our enemies had friends and families, and how they'll miss our enemies when we kill them! L-Laslow wanted me to think about it! So I did! And he was right! A-and I figured out…" Deep breaths. "I'm just as bad as the butler who killed Mommy!" No more fighting it, Peri had begun to cry again.

Embraced again by his bride, Corrin returned the favor and rubbed her back, in an attempt to soothe her. "Oh Peri… It's okay."

"How?!"

Corrin took a deep breath. "Well… We're fighting a war, Peri. And even when I try to avoid it, sometimes our enemies die. But it can't be helped. Most of the time, they know that they're doing something very dangerous." He smiled. "And, if it helps… A lot of our enemies lately aren't even alive. You know, the purple guys?"

Peri nodded. "Y-yeah…" She had managed to calm down again. "But Corrin, what about before? I killed so many people because I thought they killed Mommy!"

Corrin held Peri tighter. "Well… I don't know what to say about that."

"No fair! You're my husband, you're supposed to make me feel better!" Peri protested. She did not acknowledge it, but Corrin knew this was a sign she was starting to return to her old self.

"Maybe we can do something for their families someday. But now you see, and now you'll be a little more mindful." Spoke the prince. "You have to do what you can to survive, but from now on, maybe you'll find… that if you can get away with sparing your enemy, you could try that."

Peri nodded and smiled for the first time all day. "I… I think I'll try it. Thanks, hubby!"

"Heheh! No problem."

Peri began to stand up, and Corrin followed. "Now… go away. I gotta make lunch! And I'll make you something extra special for making me happy!" She suddenly and bluntly kissed her Corrin on the lips. Over the surprise, Corrin returned the kiss, making it genuine. Afterward, Peri shooed him away so she could prepare lunch.

Corrin was confused. Laslow seemed to get through to Peri in a way that nobody could before. This also meant Peri might be more likely to try the plan Corrin was developing with Silas. But all the same, Corrin did not appreciate that Laslow had brought his wife to her lowest point.

He would have Jakob assign Laslow to morning shifts for a week. That seemed fair enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a request that intrigued me. It's kind of a scenario I sometimes like to read, but haven't written much for. So this seemed like a good experiment. Oh and it takes place between Laslow & Peri's supports. Shortly after their B-Support, but before their A-Support.
> 
> (By the way, if you're interested in a humorous retelling of Fire Emblem Fates, check out my newest story, "Gray Whirlpool".)


	19. Brother and Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lilith, M!Corrin x Azura
> 
> Lilith tells Corrin (and his wife, Azura) about who she really is- in relation to the Hidden Truths DLC.

Peace had been restored to Valla. Or rather, the _idea_ of Valla. Much of the land and people were lost, but many had been able to find refuge in the new Valla, under King Corrin's rule. It seemed that finally, the Vallites could know happiness. All except for one.

Lilith had long ago been created by Anankos, as a personification of his madness. She tried to serve him, before eventually setting out to meet his _other_ spawn- his son. Lilith vowed not to reveal any truths of her connection with Anankos and Corrin, out of remaining loyalty to her 'father'.

But everything changed. Anankos was laid to rest. It pained Lilith, yet she still found herself overjoyed when Corrin, the kind little boy she had met trapped in the Northern Fortress, the young man she had taken to the Astral Plane, her only family left, became the new king of Valla. Once things had settled, she had decided that it was time Corrin knew the truth.

Laslow and his friends- or rather, Inigo and his friends- had already divulged some truths to Corrin, namely their own past and meeting Anankos. He took it fairly well, and while this alleviated some of Lilith's concerns, revealing deep secrets was never easy. But Lilith was ready.

* * *

Lilith had stayed in the Astral Realm, but liked to visit Corrin in his new castle (an old, repurposed fortress near the Bottomless Canyon). Corrin looked forward to these visits, and always greeted her with that smile she had loved so much. The dragon found Corrin talking to his wife on a balcony. It would be easier if it were just Lilith and Corrin, but she imagined Corrin's wife, another Vallite, should know too.

"Oh, Lilith! It's good to see you again," Corrin greeted, turning away from Azura. They both smiled. "What brings you here?"

"Oh. Well…" The little dragon hovered closer to the ground. "Do you remember when Laslow, Odin, and Selena told you about how they first came to Nohr? About… your father?" Stupid question, but she needed to start somewhere.

Corrin nodded. "Of course. What about it?"

Lilith noted his patience, as if she were about to tell him a neat factoid instead of perspective-changing information. That patience encouraged her. "They did not know this at the time, but I had met them before, back in…" It took a moment to realize she could discuss Valla, without Anankos to sustain the curse. "I had met them long ago, in the old Valla… as an enemy."

Corrin gasped, as did Azura. She was the first one to speak again. "Does that mean that you served Anankos, back then?"

The dragon sadly nodded. "Yes…"

King Corrin smiled warmly. "That's okay, Lilith. The important thing is that we're friends _now_."

"There's more," Lilith warned. "Corrin, Azura... Anankos was my father. He created me from his madness, and used me as a tool." The memories began to hurt, her eyes were watering. "He never loved me… But then his soul came back to Valla with those three heroes. He ordered them to leave… and then took an attack meant for me, even though I was sent to kill him!"

"Oh, Lilith…" Corrin's heart sank at the sight of his friend so distraught. "I hate to see you like this. I wish I could've been there to help…"

Lilith started to feel better, chuckling a bit. "Hm…! You were a small child at the time, Corrin… You wouldn't do much. Haha!"

"Hey, I seem to recall nursing a baby 'bird' when I was still a child, haha! Surely I wasn't _that_ useless!"

"Hahaha!"

Azura smiled, letting Corrin and Lilith share their moment. But then a realization dawned on her, and she felt compelled to interrupt. "Wait. Lilith, if Anankos created you and you called him 'Father', wouldn't that make you-"

"That is correct, Azura…" Lilith turned to Corrin. "Corrin, in a manner of speaking… we are family."

Corrin's eyes widened. Even Azura seemed stunned, having her suspicion confirmed so quickly. But Corrin was able to recover from the surprise quicker. "Well, what do you know, Azura? I have another sister!"

"It appears you do," the singer said with a small smirk.

"I would have originally never told you," began Corrin's sister, "but… I never thought you would go on to defeat my- _our_ father, let alone become the new king of Valla. Thus I felt that you had the right to know."

The king nodded in acknowledgement. "Well thank you for being honest."

"Yes, thank you," Azura added. "I know we haven't spoken much, but it's nice to get to know you a little better."

Words would fail to describe the elation Lilith felt. She had bared her soul to Corrin, the human brother she had sworn to protect, and he received her. Of course he would, Lilith remembered, he even trusted Gunter after the man had explicitly betrayed everyone. Nevertheless, Lilith was glad to know she held a place in Corrin's heart.

Corrin then had a thoughtful look. Lilith and Azura seemed a little confused. The former spoke. "Corrin, what's the matter?"

"I want to try something. Could you hold still, please?"

"Oh… Okay?"

Corrin slowly reached out for Lilith and then held her in his hands. Just as slowly, he placed her against his chest. "… Hmm."

"Corrin, what are you doing?" asked Azura.

"I wanted to give my new sister a hug." Corrin's eyes turned down to the dragon he was holding. He began to speak to her instead. "You've been through a lot and have done so much for me, and sometimes I feel like I never truly repaid you."

_FLASH_

"Aaah!" Corrin and Azura both screamed, caught off-guard.

When they regained their vision, they were shocked. Lilith was her old self again. She seemed to be surprised as well, examining her hands. "I'm… I'm like this again?"

"I thought you said you couldn't do that again," Corrin stated.

The transformed woman was still looking at her hands. "I thought so too… The Astral Dragon Moro must have granted me this favor."

Corrin smiled. "It might have been because you were a good sister."

Lilith's eyes began to water again. She immediately reached for her brother and wrapped her arms around him. Corrin closed his eyes and returned the gesture. Azura watched the two of them. She felt happy for her husband and his new sister, though wondered if she should have been there for this. As if to answer her question, Corrin and Lilith's smiles grew, as they wordlessly grabbed Azura and included her.

At that point, Lilith had a gut feeling. Somewhere, the kind soul of their father was at peace. Proud of his two children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd sort of wanted to write for Lilith, and then someone makes a request about her just in time. So I volunteered.
> 
> I was a little unsure of turning her back to human at the end, but I felt that if the Astral Dragons could transform her just so she could die as a human, they could probably do this for her here.


	20. I Can Wait to Be King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: F!Corrin & Dwyer
> 
> Corrin and her son, Dwyer, talk about Dwyer's status as a future king.

"What was that?" asked Corrin.

"I said I don't really think I could be a king," Dwyer repeated.

Corrin began to get into Overprotective Mother Mode. "What? Why not? Did someone tell you that you weren't good enough? Where are they?! I'll teach them for insulting my baby!"

The sleepy young man shook his head. "No… no, Mother. Nothing like that. I just think… since I've been training to become a butler, it wouldn't really suit me to be a king. I feel more like an assistant-type."

With that, Corrin started laughing. Dwyer raised an eyebrow.

"Mother?"

"Haha… Sorry, Dwyer. It's just silly. Of course you have it in you to be a king!" assured his mother, with a smile. "In fact, I think you have the potential to be a better ruler than me!"

"Are you sure? I mean, you raise everyone's spirits. Everyone loves you. You're a good fighter. I just don't know if I could be like you." Dwyer began to look away nervously.

"Aw, Son…"

The queen reached out and put her hand gently on Dwyer's cheek.

"You don't have to be like me. You should just be Dwyer."

Dwyer did not appreciate his face being touched, but allowed it for his mom. "Well that's just it… I don't think 'Dwyer' can be a king. And I'm okay with that. It's a lot of work anyway."

Corrin frowned. "Well. I can't force you to change your mind. Are you suggesting Jakob and I pass the throne to Kana?"

"Hm? Oh gods no. He's such a nice kid… I'd hate to put that pressure on him. Or Second Cousin Shigure, he's been through a lot… Huh. Never thought about it like that."

"Thought about it like what?"

"Well when I put it that way… It falls on me after all." He shrugged. "Okay, I guess I'll be king."

"Dwyer, are you saying you'd just want the throne so no one else has to worry about it?"

"I guess so… Being a king _is_ a heavy responsibility. I still don't know if I'm fit for it. But I'll take one for the team."

"Dwyer, no. You really don't have to if you don't want to," Corrin rested her hands on Dwyer's shoulders. "It's not for a long time anyway, I'm sure we'll think of something."

Dwyer shook his head. "No, no. I think I just realized I could actually be a pretty good king. See… You're always going on about how I take care of other people. And what is a king, but one big butler for his whole country?" He paused. "You know, not counting bad kings."

Corrin put a hand to her chin. "Hmm. You have a point." She pointed a finger up. "Ooh, and that's not even going into your other positive traits!"

Dwyer gave his mother a wry smile. "So yeah… I guess I'd be all right at this king thing. No rush, though."

"Uh-huh. I think you'll make a great king, Dwyer. And yes, you don't have to worry about it right now. I don't plan on giving up my position for a long time." She then grabbed her son and held him in a hug, as she was prone to doing with her boys.

"I guess I got over it pretty fast…"

"Heh! That's one of the things I like most about our talks. You're not as stubborn as your father or Kana. Or me!" She pat Dwyer's back.

"Heh… Don't let Father hear you say that. Heh."

"Haha! Ohh, your father's proud of you, Dwyer. He just… has an indirect way of showing it." Then she opened her eyes, now rubbing her hands motherly on her son's back. "But really, though. We're both proud of you. Sometimes I worry you think we don't love you as much as Kana."

Dwyer stood still for a moment. Suddenly, he began to snort until he went into a full on laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Ha! …Ha! …Ha! Ohh… Ohh, Mother. I've never once thought that… I know you've raised us differently… But we're different people, so it makes sense. You and Kana are more similar in personality… and he always wants to be stimulated… Meanwhile I just need a kick in the pants sometimes, so I don't fall into a laziness coma."

Corrin smiled and tightened her hug. "Well I'll just say it again, because I can't say it enough. I love you, Son."

"I love you too, Mother…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two fluffy family drabbles in a row about post-Revelation Corrin. Oh well. Not a lot to say about it. I'm not super big on Corrin/Jakob as a pair (it's growing on me), but I do like Dwyer and Kana as siblings, and their interactions with Mom!Corrin.


	21. Finding Kiragi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: F!Corrin x Takumi
> 
> A modern AU where they realize they've lost their kids in the mall.

Takumi and Corrin were just going to have a nice day out with the kids. Head to the mall, catch a movie, and then maybe enjoy dinner. But with a rambunctious child like Kiragi, plans were liable to change. And Kana himself was only now teething, so things got pretty hectic whenever he lost his plastic ring.

Of course, that all paled to the moment when the parents realized _they_ had lost something much more important…

"You lost our children?!" Corrin screeched. "I go to the restroom for ten minutes and you lose them?!"

"Uh- well- hey! Who goes to the restroom for ten minutes?!"

Corrin narrowed her eyes, and a brief silence ensued. "…Are you trying to upset me, Takumi?"

"Err, no ma'am."

"That's what I thought. Now let's hurry!"

* * *

"KIRAGI! KANA!" Corrin called. "Boys, where are you?!"

The parents had tried looking in all the stores a little boy would like, starting with the arcade. Corrin immediately started storming the whole place, while Takumi went to see if the manager could be of any assistance.

 _How could this happen?!_ Corrin thought to herself. _This is horrible, our babies are lost in the mall! I should've waited before using the restroom! I shouldn't have had that large soda! Oh where could they be?! We taught them to avoid strangers, didn't we? Oh but Kiragi's so trusting, just like me! Oh why am I so gullible, why-_

"Excuse me. Ma'am?" asked a very young-looking man with brownish-reddish hair and a headband. Corrin snapped out of her mental tirade. "I just asked Da-I mean _the manager_ , and we've looked around, but we haven't seen any children with white hair in the whole store."

"Well where else could they be?! Gaah!" Corrin turned away and rubbed her temples.

* * *

A young boy with Corrin's white hair walked into a sporting goods store, carrying a sleeping baby. The clerk, a hot-blooded youth with a messy brown ponytail smirked.

"Hey, welcome! What's up, little man? Where are your parents?"

"Shh! It's a secret!" Kiragi stage-whispered. "Daddy wants golf clubs, and today's Father's Day, so I was hoping you'd have some!"

"Haha!" The clerk beamed. "You're pretty thoughtful! But they're pretty expensive," he warned.

"It's okay, I have money!"

Kiragi reached into his right pocket, while little Kana tried to reach into Kiragi's other pocket for unrelated reasons. The older boy found nothing, until he noticed Kana chewing on a dollar bill.

"Kana, no! Stop it!" The boy took the dollar away from his baby brother and reached onto his tiptoes, placing it on the counter.

The clerk examined the dollar. "Uh… This is five dollars."

Kiragi nodded. "Yeah!"

"Sorry dude, I'm gonna need some more."

Takumi's son frowned. "Well, how about you just take one club and give it to me? I bet Daddy doesn't need _all_ the golf clubs!"

* * *

An older man with navy hair and glasses was tinkering with a small toy plane at the desk. "I'm sorry sir, I have not seen your children."

Takumi had tried checking the RC store. Kiragi and Kana were always fascinated by their father's mastery of remote-control planes, but it appeared Mr. Yukimura's Circuit Emporium was not their hiding place.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Takumi asked, slamming his hands on the table.

The clerk narrowed his eyes. "Sir, I will not have this behavior in my store. I also do not appreciate your hands on the counter, I had just cleaned them ten minutes ago."

"We're looking for our sons!"

"And I told you, I have not seen them. Now please, let my store be!"

* * *

Kiragi was sitting on a bench, crying to himself. Hearing this, a woman with long, dark blue hair walked out of the nearby clothing store and knelt down by the crying child.

"Aww, poor guy! What's wrong? Do you need to find your parents?"

Kiragi was still crying, but composed himself long enough to explain. "I… I… I snuck away from my parents! I took Kana with me, so we could get Daddy golf clubs! But I didn't have enough money, so I went back to ask my parents, but they were gone and now I'm lost and don't have a present for my daaaaad! Waaaaaah!"

Kana reached out for the dollar Kiragi was still holding, but could not reach. He began to cry as well. The woman frowned. "Aww! If only we knew where they were…"

A girl with long, brown hair and wearing a pink jogging suit ran up. "Whoa, what's going on? Are you okay, kid?"

The clothing store clerk turned to her. "This kid's missing his parents."

"Aah! That's no good!"

"This kid's missing his parents?" asked a man with green hair.

Suddenly, more people were crowding around Kiragi and Kana.

* * *

Corrin was sitting on a bench somewhere else, breathing into a paper bag. Takumi had a hand on her back.

"It's okay, we'll find them."

"But where could they be?!" she stopped her breathing exercise. "They could be anywhere in this mall!"

A man with fluffy hair and seemingly shut eyes walked past the parents. Then he seemed to have some sort of epiphany and turned back around. "Say, are you the guys missing some children? Your kids have attracted quite a crowd."

"Yes!" Takumi declared. "Where are they?!"

"Whoa, take it easy! You're in a big hurry for parents who'd let their kids wander around the mall," the man joked. Corrin's eyes narrowed and she stood up. The mother marched over to the man and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Where are our sons?!"

"Aaah! They're outside Sheep Heavenly! That stuffy clothing store! Please don't hurt me!"

Corrin practically shoved the man away and made a run for it, with Takumi close behind.

* * *

"KIRAGI! KANA!" Takumi called.

The crowd around the crying children all looked over to see the parents running up. They all cleared a path, and made way for Corrin and Takumi. Corrin reached her children first, picking them up in a big hug.

"Ohh, Kiragi, Kana! I was so worried about you!"

Takumi had finally caught up too. "We were looking all over for you two! We're so glad you're safe!"

" _Awww!_ " the crowd cooed. A red-haired man with a scar over one eye started waving his arms.

"All right, back off everyone, show's over. Get back to whatever you were doing."

Everyone else started to walk away, giving the family some space. Takumi took Kiragi from Corrin, as the latter held onto Kana. "Son, what were you thinking, running off like that?"

Kiragi started to sniffle. "Aw, I-I'm sorry, Dad! I just… I wanted to buy you a present!"

"What?" Both the parents were confused.

"I-I wanted to b-buy you golf clubs for Fathers' Day, but they were too m-much money! I'm sorry, Dad! And I'm sorry too, Mom!"

"Kiragi…" Takumi held his son even closer. "It's okay, it'll be okay…" He started running his hand through his son's hair. "You mean more to me than any lousy clubs. I'm just glad we're together again."

Letting Kana nibble on some of her hair, Corrin smiled. "But it was so nice of you to be thinking of your dad! But next time, don't run off without our permission, okay?"

"O-okay. Happy Fathers' Day, by the way." Kiragi was beginning to calm down.

"Thank you, son."

Kana turned his head in Takumi's direction, still with some of Corrin's hair in his mouth. "Ha'fa baba."

Takumi chuckled. "Ha! Thank you too, Kana."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not big on Corrin x (royal), but since this was an AU (and a request) I worked with it anyway. This wasn't intended as a Fathers' Day thing, but since the day was coming up and I otherwise had no ideas, I ran with the idea.
> 
> It was fun thinking of modern, mall versions of the Hoshido characters. The mall is also slightly based on the mall in my town, or at least I was imagining it when I wrote this piece. On the blog, there is a photo of an area in the mall that sort of describes what I mean.


	22. Gridlock Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hinoka & Takumi
> 
> Modern AU where these two siblings are stuck in traffic on the way to work.

**HONK … HONK … HONK… HONK-**

"Knock it off, Takumi! I'm sending a text message!"

"Well maybe if this lousy traffic cleared up, you wouldn't need to send a message, and I wouldn't be hitting my head on the wheel!"

Hinoka and Takumi, the two middle children of their family, both on their way to the clinic. However, countless other drivers had seen fit to impede their progress and stall them.

Hinoka frowned. "You know, it's not even your job. So you don't have to get so worked up over it."

"Well, why aren't _you_ more worked up about it? I don't see how you could stay so calm!"

"Think of it this way, Takumi. We left home on time, right?"

"Yeah…" Takumi was not sure where this was going.

"And this is the path to work I normally take…"

"So?"

"So it's not my fault! Now let me focus, I'm trying to text my boss that traffic's keeping me."

Takumi tightened his grip on the wheel. "Yeah. Figures, the one day I actually take you to work is when you show up late!"

"What did I just say?! It's not our fault everyone decided to get on the road!"

"Look, I… I just wanted to do something nice for you! But of course something had to go and screw it up!"

Hinoka frowned again. "Takumi, it's fine! I appreciate that you wanted to help me today." Takumi sighed, and his sister narrowed her eyes in thought. "What's really going on?"

"What? Nothi-"

"That's a lie and you know it. You usually don't get road rage." _Surprising as that is,_ she thought to herself.

"I just… I wanted to show you I'm not useless."

"… Seriously?! You think that I think you're useless?!"

"No! I mean…" sigh, " _I'm_ the one who thinks I'm useless… I never got to help any of you guys growing up. Ryoma never needed help, and now he's off on his own. And now Sakura's away in college and I can't help her… It's just us now, and I jumped at the chance to be useful to you."

"… Are you serious?" Hinoka rubbed her hand through her hair. "Did you just forget about all those times you took care of Sakura when we were growing up?

The driver raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, and? It's not like I did anything special, you could've done it just as well. You could've done it better!"

The redhead punched her brother's shoulder. "Stupid! You really thought that wasn't helpful?! A lot of times, we didn't have to worry about Sakura, because we knew you were handling it! And she loved you for it! You were always her favorite!"

"I was?"

"Of course you were! She's always posting online about things that remind her of stuff you used to do together!"

"Well, uh-"

"Well nothing! Takumi, you need to stop selling yourself short!" Hinoka hung her head. "This isn't the first time you've talked about this. And every time it happens, I feel like I've failed you as a big sister." Worry seeped into her voice. "Did I not encourage you enough? Did I ignore you?" She gulped. "Did… did I actually say something that made you feel horrible?"

"No, no! Never!" Takumi cried. "You were great! In fact, that's why I always felt like I came up short! You and Ryoma were practically superhuman, taking care of us when Mom died. I wanted to be more like the two of you, and, well…"

Everything went quiet. Nodding to herself, Hinoka held out her arms. "… Come here."

"Not while I'm driving."

"We're still not able to move yet. Come. Here." She kept her arms out. Takumi sighed and tried to return her hug. It was a physically awkward one, since they were still in the car, but the thought was what counted. "You're not useless. Stop telling yourself that you are. No exceptions. Got it?"

"I…" He sighed. "Yeah… okay. I'm not useless." Hinoka smiled. She ended the hug and ruffled Takumi's hair. "H-hey!"

"You push yourself so hard, it's like watching a younger version of me!" She gazed out the window, wistfully. "I remember Ryoma and I had this same conversation once. Not very long after Mom's… you know…"

"I never knew you felt that way…"

She looked back at Takumi, with a grin on her face. "Yeah, but Ryoma talked some sense into me. So I knew I had to do the same for you."

**HONK!**

"Move already! Stop being such a tease!" called a driver behind the two siblings. Takumi and Hinoka looked and realized the cars ahead of them were finally beginning to move.

"About time!" Takumi called. He silently observed that it seemed as though the traffic waited for him and Hinoka to finish their talk before clearing up.

* * *

With the roads clearing up, it was not much longer until Takumi and Hinoka had finally reached the Veterinary Clinic.

"Are you sure your boss won't be mad?" asked Takumi.

Hinoka nodded. "She understood. She's pretty good about that sorta thing. Besides, I'm really not very late."

"All right, then. I'll pick you up at closing, I guess."

"Sounds good!"

"By the way…" Takumi hung his head, blushing lightly. "I'm glad we had that talk…"

The older sister smiled again. She quickly pecked Takumi on the cheek and hurried out of the car. "See you later!"

Takumi groaned and tried to wipe his cheek. But after a few seconds, he smiled.

_Thank you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Modern AU involving Takumi. I really wanted to take this request because I was interested in seeing some Hinoka & Takumi interaction (even if it is in an AU). As such, I tried to keep their struggle somewhat close to the canon characters. I intended this to be a funny "Takumi has road rage" fic, but it turned into angst and fluff instead.
> 
> Writing for the blog has brought out the fluff in my writing I guess.


	23. Hinata's World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Hinata & Oboro
> 
> AU where Hinata and Oboro have their own version of Wayne's World. (Hinata is Wayne, Oboro is Garth.)

_You are watching Cable 14, Shirasagi Community Access Channel_

**HINATA'S WORLD! HINATA'S WORLD! PARTY TIME! EXCELLENT!**

A medium-quality studio camera focused on Hinata and Oboro sitting on a couch. Hinata was holding a guitar and pretending to play it, while Oboro just had drumsticks in one hand.

"Yeah, party on! I'm your host, Hinata! With me as always is Oboro!"

"Party on, Hinata!"

"Party on, Oboro! Excellent! How's everyone out there!"

The studio audience cheered. Oboro grinned.

"Wow it's, like, hard to believe our show's only been going on for four months!"

Hinata grinned. "Yeah, and it's 'cause of that web blog that puts up all those fan writings about us and our friends! So in honor of them, we're doing…" Hinata waited for Oboro to hold up a sign with their subject on it, "Top Ten Things About FE14Drabbles."

Hinata began to shred while Oboro played air drums.

**TOP TEN THINGS ABOUT FE14DRABBLES**

**HINATA'S WORLD! HINATA'S WORLD! TOP TEN! EXCELLENT!**

Oboro put away the drumsticks and grabbed a special sign with ten slots. Each slot had a tab that could be pulled away, to reveal something under said slot. Ten was at the bottom, one at top. She pulled away the tenth tab.

_10\. Fan Fiction_

Hinata smiled. "Number ten! FE14Drabbles has fan fiction. … Wait, that means people are writing about us? Do we even do anything?"

Oboro shrugged. "Like, they write about Hinata's World?"

"I guess, what else do we do?" He went back to playing on his guitar. "Number nine!" Oboro pulled another tab.

_9\. Hard Drama_

"FE14Drabbles has hard drama," Oboro reported, "I cry every time!"

"Whoa, we got a crier!"

The camera zoomed in on Oboro, and the words 'GIANT BABY' flashed across the screen, before the camera went back to normal.

"Yeah like that one drabble I read… uh… that one where Leo and Elise had each other's faces! It was so unfashionable, man!"

"Aw man, that's terrible! I liked the pathos of that one where Garon died!"

"Really?"

"Shyah right! And monkeys might fly out of my butt!" Hinata and Oboro chuckled, and gave each other high fives. The blue-haired woman pulled the next tab.

_8\. Pregnant Ladies_

"I love pregnant ladies!" Hinata exclaimed. "They eat almost as much as I do!"

"Remember when the one mod decided to put up three of those on the same day? Twice?"

"Haha, yeah! Real clever-" They both leaned forward.

"NOT!"

_7\. Memes_

"FE14Drabbles is known for its memes!" said Hinata. "But sometimes I fear the mods might lean too heavily on inside jokes and contemporary references, instead of original humor."

"No way!"

"Way!"

"Well at least our show's hot and original! Not some rip-off of a cheesy live show skit! With original jokes and phrases!" Oboro cheered. Then they both looked at the camera and winked. Then they both waved their arms.

"Aaaaand scene!"

_6\. Submission Sunday_

Hinata nodded. "Yeah, remember how lazy all the writers are, so they get other people to write for them every month?"

"Ha! And that one time they got a guy so lazy that he didn't even write anything, he just copied it from his AO3 account. And now he's a mod?"

"Yeah no wonder that guy ended up being a mod, since he's so lazy!"

_5\. Meta Humor_

Why am I writing this? What am I doing with my life?

_4\. The Dancing Azura Gif_

"Hahaha! Shwing!" Hinata said with a smirk. "I get so distracted on the blog whenever I see that picture of Azura dancing!"

"Yeah but… how does she change into her blue dress so fast? I don't even change that quickly…" Oboro wondered.

_3\. The Submission Sunday Home Invasions_

It was Oboro's turn to smile. "Yeah, the Submission Sunday raiding! When Mod Mitama raids someone's house and put them at gunpoint to write for them!"

"So intense!" Hinata immediately went back to guitar-playing. "Yeah, it's a little-known secret that Mod Mitama is secretly ex-SWAT and they likes to raid people's houses and-

[REDACTED]

"Uhh, did I say that? I meant... Mod Characters. Like, how all the mods are named after characters… yeah… that's what we said…"

_3\. Mod Characters_

_2\. Mod Mitama_

The audience cheered heavily, as Hinata nodded in encouragement. "What can we say about that guy that hasn't already been said?"

"For four months, minus two or three, he singlehandedly wrote everything on the blog!"

Oboro grinned. "Yeah, it went like this-" She dulled her face and spoke as monotonously as possible. "Well… That was a drabble. … Guess I'll write another one. I think I'll just do a meme instead."

Hinata joined in. "I could write more drabbles. But I'm an alligator now. … The new mods can do it for me."

Both of them waved their arms. "Aaaand scene!"

Hinata held up a finger. "And the number one thing about FE14Drabbles is…"

_1\. The Followers_

"Aw, give it up for yourselves, studio audience! Oboro and I wouldn't be anywhere without those writer jerks, and they wouldn't be anywhere without you!"

The studio audience cheered, then Hinata and Oboro got off the couch and dramatically bowed.

"WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"

The cheering continued as Hinata grabbed his guitar again. "And that's all the time we have, party on guys!"

**HINATA'S WORLD! HINATA'S WORLD! PARTY TIME! EXCELLENT!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was written as kind of an inside-joke. There was a (well-written) angst drabble on the blog, called "Unworthy" and it starred these two characters. So I started thinking about the Wayne's World "WE'RE NOT WORTHY" thing and here you go.
> 
> This Top 10 List references the moderators of the blog, the layout of the blog, even some common requests we get, so it makes more sense over there.
> 
> Also, the character banners that usually accompany these were different (at my request). Hinata has a Pepsi can while Oboro wears Garth's glasses.


	24. Pizza Delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Dwyer & M!Kana
> 
> AU where they're brothers and work for the same pizza place, delivering a pizza.

Dwyer did not hate working with his little brother, Kana. However, he did hate how excited the younger boy could be about work. Especially when it was the very last delivery of the day, and Dwyer just wanted to go home.

"That customer sure is lucky! They're getting the last pizza of the day!"

"Okay… How about you drive? I'm exhausted."

"Me?" Kana asked. "But… I still don't have my license!"

"You've got me with you. And it's just around the corner, so c'mon…"

"But… I…"

Dwyer gestured his hand in annoyance. "Just… do what you do whenever Mom has you drive. Except you have me instead."

"Okay…" Kana conceded. With that, the two of them got into the car and buckled in. Kana nervously stared at all the controls. "Don't tell me… uh…"

"Back it up."

"Oh! Yeah! Baaaaack… back it up… back…"

"Shift to reverse, Kana."

"Reverse… reverse…"

"Back. It. Up!"

"BACKING UP!" Kana panicked and immediately shifted the car into reverse. Dwyer tensed up as the car blitzed out of the parking lot, across the street, and through a small wooded area all within the span of seconds.

* * *

"… Well, Kana. You've backed us up."

"Dwyer, I-"

"And now we're in the middle of nowhere."

Kana and Dwyer's car had smashed its backside into a tree out in a forest. Kana let go of the wheel and frowned.

"You know what the worst part is, Dwyer? I think the pizza's getting cold." Kana worriedly looked at the case holding the pizza in the backseat. Dwyer rolled his eyes.

"Oh. The pizza's getting cold. Oh the humanity. Innocent pizza too good for this world- Let's just go, Kana. The car's wrecked, we'll have to deliver on foot. Boss's gonna kill us anyway, for totaling the car…"

* * *

The brothers began walking along the roadside. They were at it for about five minutes, when Dwyer looked back and caught Kana rubbing his hand on the road. "Kana, stop playing on the street and let's go."

"Don't worry, it's an old pioneering trick! I saw it in a movie!" He gasped. "Oh! It's working, be quiet!" Kana put his ear to the street. "Hmm… Truck, sixteen wheels… Hooray!" Kana stood up. "Okay Dwyer, watch how the pioneers used to hitchhike!"

Kana started dancing awkwardly right in the middle of the street. Dwyer pinched the bridge of his nose, but was interrupted by a truck's horn. "That actually worked? Is he stopping?" Dwyer squinted. "No… Better save him."

Dwyer casually walked across the street, picked up Kana, and carried him and the pizza across just in time to avoid getting run over.

* * *

"Lobster Lord Pizza/is the pizza/for you and me!" Kana sang. "Lobster Lord Pizza/is a pizza/absolu-tively! Lobster Lord Pizza/is a pizza/very ta-asty!" Kana then started beatboxing the next verse of his song.

"Please stop."

Kana sang with a more robust voice than usual. "Lobster Looo-ooooord Pizzaaaa! Is the pizza, yeeeeeah! For you and…" his voice raised a few octaves, " _MEEEEEEEEE!_ "

"I hate this."

Kana playfully tapped Dwyer on the shoulder. "Aw c'mon Dwyer, this pizza is for the customer!"

"And who cares about the customer?" asked Dwyer, growing fatigued.

"Me! I care!"

Dwyer scoffed. "Well I don't."

"Dwyer!" Kana gasped.

"Fine, fine…" Then Dwyer's stomach growled. He turned to Kana. "Kana, are you hungry? Because I am."

Kana looked down at the pizza longingly, but shook his head. "Hmm… Oh! I know!"

Dwyer sighed. "Please don't tell me this is another pioneer bit."

"In times of hardship, the pioneers would eat mud! We just need to find some!" He looked to his brother. "Has it rained lately?"

Dwyer proceeded to massage his temples.

* * *

Kana and Dwyer passed a large rock, and Kana looked at it thoughtfully. "Sometimes the pioneers would use rocks to-"

"Kana," Dwyer started, "stop talking about the pioneers. Have you noticed there are no pioneers left? Can we just deliver this pizza and go home? No doubt Dad has several chores for us."

Kana gasped. "Look, Dwyer! The customer's house!" The boy pointed and found a house. He pulled out a small sheet and smiled. "Yep, this is the place! Let's go!"

"About time…"

Kana hurried up to the door and knocked. It was answered by a man with an eyepatch.

"Yeah?"

Kana held out the pizza box and smiled. "Congratulations, sir! Your Lobster Lord pizza is here!"

"Oooh. Don't mind if I do…" He smirked dangerously. "And what about my drink?"

"… What drink?"

"My drink? My Diet Dr. Daikon?! Are you saying you forgot my drink?! Oh wow you came all this way, took forever, and didn't even get it right!" Kana's heart sank, and he started tearing up. "Ohhh delicious! You're about to start crying?!" he asked, excitedly. "Oh that was worth the wait! Okay get out of here, pizza boy. I don't want any."

The customer slammed the door. Kana stood there for a moment before walking back to Dwyer. The older boy frowned. "Kana?"

"L-let's go home…" Kana sniffled. "I-I-I…" He started to cry. Dwyer narrowed his eyes.

"That guy's got some nerve…" He yanked the pizza box from Kana's hands and marched back to the door. Dwyer knocked with authority.

"Now what?" the eyepatch-wearing man asked. "Aww, the bigger delivery boy is here to stick up for his friend?"

"… Yep." Dwyer slammed the pizza box right in the man's face, knocking him backward.

With the deed done, Dwyer walked back over to Kana and put a hand on his shoulder. Kana looked up. "Dwyer? Wh-what happened?"

The older brother smiled for the first time that day. "Customer changed his mind. Let's go before he changes it back. I think I have enough bus fair to get us home."

"O-okay… Thank you, Dwyer."

"Sure thing…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not only is this another AU, but it's another Spongebob episode parody. Based on the episode of the same name. One of the authors on this site, Lovelylori, is also another mod on the blog. She and I were talking about Kana and Dwyer and suddenly I had the idea to write this.
> 
> Again, it's not 100% like the episode. Dwyer never tries to eat the pizza, and is generally more supportive of Kana. But I still felt like their personalities worked well for this sort of thing.


	25. Talk Mystic to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: F!Corrin x Odin
> 
> Corrin misses her husband, and tries to speak like him.

For a brief time after the fall of Anankos, Odin Dark was compelled to return to his homeland. He and Corrin knew that Valla needed their new queen, so she reluctantly agreed to stay behind. After a month's time, Odin would return, thus Corrin waited. She would need to guide this new age for the new Valla, in the meanwhile. Corrin would receive aid from her servants and Azura, as well as both her families. Yet none could fill the place in her heart Odin had left.

"What are you reading?" asked Azura during a moment of rest. She had walked into Corrin's chamber and found her reading.

Corrin squinted at her book. "It's a very old fantasy novel." She squinted harder. "I'm getting a feel for how all the characters speak."

"Oh. Okay." Azura went over to look out the window and did not bother asking further questions. She had her answer. Corrin sighed.

"They all speak the same as Odin. I know he tries to hold back when we're together, but I miss his theatrics now that he's gone. So I'm trying to figure out all his flowery descriptions so I can impress him when he comes back. You know, show an interest in his interest."

Azura did not look at Corrin, but did wince. "Oh… That sounds… nice…"

"You think I should ask Leo for advice? He's known Odin longer than I have," Corrin added.

"Um… I think I'm hungry. I'll see you later." Azura awkwardly walked out of the room. Corrin shrugged and went back to her book.

* * *

Corrin and Leo were having a small lunch together, during another moment of rest. Leo looked at his sister with confusion.

"What did you say?"

"I'm asking if you know why Odin speaks in his certain manner."

Leo shook his head. "No, that… That's always been there." He chuckled. "Heh… I hated it at first. One of the reasons I sent him on fake missions when he was first assigned to me."

"You've known him for so long…" Corrin mused. "Are you sure none of it rubbed off on you or Niles, or you didn't decipher any of it?"

"Well it's not as though it were a foreign language. Though he did have a strange dialect when we first met… Must've been from that home kingdom of his." Leo shrugged. "But regardless, I have a vast vocabulary, thus his flair for dramatic and somewhat antiquated words did little to stun me. I usually followed what he was saying."

"Hmm. Did he have a favorite phrase or anything?" Corrin frowned. "I listen to him, but it all just kind of meshes together for me."

Leo put a finger to his chin. "Hmm… He did describe things as 'fell' a lot of the time. And… he had a tendency to curse the blood in his veins, saying it ached. And rarely, I thought I'd heard him mention his hand hungering for… something." Leo grimaced. "I don't even wish to know that one."

Corrin shared Leo's expression. "Yes…"

* * *

A month had passed, and the day had come. Odin had returned to Valla. There was little explanation, but much fanfare. Most of it from Odin himself. Felicia and Jakob alerted Corrin to her husband's return, and she came running to greet him.

"Odin, I've missed you!" Corrin jumped into his arms.

"Ah! My wonderful wife! I've missed you even more!" He pecked her. "Even surrounded by my oldest friends, I kept thinking about you!" Odin grinned. "I even came up with some more pet names for you!"

Corrin took a moment to think. "My soul… had a seizure… awaiting your… unholy return."

Odin raised an eyebrow. "Uh… It did? Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh, I meant…" Corrin cleared her throat, and tried to speak as deeply as possible. "The evil blood in my veins was… toiling over… the… dark flames of… missing you."

Odin frowned. "… Corrin?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Odin. I thought that I'd learn some of your speech patterns, and surprise you when you came back."

"Oh… I see," Odin said with a nod. Corrin tried to get out of his arms, so he set her down. "But I thought you liked it when I spoke normally."

"I do, but… I know how much fun you have with theatrics, and I missed you…" Corrin blushed. "I suppose it was my way of trying to keep you around, even when you weren't here."

Odin simply smiled and embraced his wife. "My love, it warms my aching blood to hear of the lengths you went to recreate my presence! So too did my heart howl before the endless abyss of loneliness during our month of separation!"

Corrin laughed and returned the hug. "Hahaha! You make it sound so easy!"

"Let us bask in the wondrous glow of each other's company, Corrin of the Dragon's Blood!" Odin announced. "Oh and maybe I could teach you a phrase or two."

Corrin smiled.

"I think I'd like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Around a week ago, it was one of the mods' birthdays. So a few of us decided to write some drabbles about their favorite pairings. I wrote a F!Corrin x Odin drabble, as you can see. This was actually my first experience writing for any character from Awakening in a serious capacity.
> 
> The idea of Corrin trying to awkwardly sound like Odin is very endearing to me. I know they get a lot of flak in the fandom (and some of it is deserved), but I actually really like Corrin. Both versions of Corrin.


	26. Operation: Dinner Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Felicia x Xander, Elise
> 
> Felicia and Xander as a couple, featuring Elise

Felicia walked into Elise's bedchambers.

"Um, hello? You wanted to see me Lady Elise?" asked the maid. She was a little uncertain of the reason behind her arrival. In fact, Elise was not even present.

It appeared that the young princess's writing desk was newly placed in the center of the room. A dusty, ancient (and somewhat stained) tablecloth rested over the table and there was a lit candle in the center.

"Hi Felicia!" Elise chirped, startling Felicia.

"Whoa! Lady Elise, please don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Oops! Sorry, Felicia!" Elise then cleared her throat. "Welcome to your dinner date!"

The older woman raised her eyebrow. "Eh? My dinner date? You mean, you want me to tend to your dinner with someone?" She smiled. "Aww, are you and Odin finally going steady?"

"N-no!" Elise blurted out. "This is a dinner date for you!"

"For me? … With… you?"

"No! The other guest just hasn't shown up yet! Please, be seated!" Elise requested. Felicia awkwardly nodded, and complied. She went to one side the desk and sat down. After a moment, the maid inspected the tablecloth more closely.

"Whoa, this tablecloth's kinda old! Do you want me to clean it or get a new one?" There was no answer. "… Lady Elise?" Felicia looked up and saw that she was alone in the room. "… Hello?"

Suddenly, there was a voice in the hall.

"O-okay, take it easy, Elise!"

"I asked you to be here ten minutes ago!"

"I know, but I was busy. I tried to make it as soon as possible."

"Wait, I have to come in first!"

A sigh was audible.

Elise ran back into her bedroom and cleared her throat. "Your table is this way, 'sir'. Heehee!"

Xander walked into the room. "My table? What do you mean?" The young king then looked, and found that there was a table (which he recognized as Elise's desk) and there was an unoccupied seat. The other seat had Felicia, whom was blowing out a tiny fire from the candle, which had formed on her sleeve. His cheeks went red. "Felicia? What are you up to?"

"L-Lord Xander! Uh, I mean Your Majesty!"

Xander turned back to his sister. "Elise, what is this all abou-"

"No talking, just sit down!" Elise started pushing Xander toward the table, and the man sighed.

Finally, with both guests at their seats, Peri crawled out from under Xander's bed. "Hi Lord Xander! Hi Felicia! I'm going to make dinner! What do you want?"

Xander raised his eyebrow. "Peri, what is this all about?"

"Just answer her question!" Elise stage-whispered. Xander internally sighed and tented his fingers.

"Felicia, have you anything to do with this?"

"No, sir! I was called in here just like you!"

The king nodded. "I see… I believe Elise would like us to share dinner together."

Elise pouted. "No, don't talk about it, just do it!"

Xander smiled at his sister. "Elise, I appreciate what you're trying to do," then his voice became firm, "but I'm very busy today. And I'm sure Felicia has work she needs to do as well."

Elise crossed her arms. "Ha! We already took care of that! Leo's seeing to your king stuff today, while Flora's working double-time! So you two can enjoy a romantic dinner together!"

"We?" asked Xander. "This wasn't just your idea?"

"Nope! Well, it was mostly my idea, but everyone liked it!"

Felicia looked around nervously. "And… Corrin doesn't need anything from me?"

Elise shook her head. "Nope! Corrin was one of the people who wanted this for you the most!"

"Oh. Okay then!" Felicia smiled and looked at Peri. "I would like soup!"

Xander nodded. "Hmm, yes. Soup would be nice. You favor Vegetarian Chowder, yes? That's how Corrin started to like it."

Felicia's eyes widened. "Yes! How did you… how did you know?"

Xander blushed. "Well, I… make it a habit to know things about… people important to… me… Um, I'll have the same."

Elise giggled to herself, while Peri nodded. "Okay, I'll go make it!"

Peri briskly exited the room. Elise then walked past the table, carrying her violin. She went out to the balcony, out of sight, and started playing. "Don't mind me, it's just ambience!"

Xander and Felicia, however, kept awkwardly staring at the balcony. They eventually turned back to each other, and Xander coughed. "Well, I suppose we have no choice. N-not that I wouldn't enjoy a dinner with you!"

"O-oh I know, Your Majesty, I understand!"

A smile formed on Xander's face. "We've discussed this, Felicia. You are free to refer to me by name. It's not as though our relationship is a secret."

The maid blushed. "Yeah, I know… It's just… old habits… And with Elise right there-"

"No I'm not!" Elise insisted.

"How about a new subject?" Xander offered. "I hear the Ice Tribe is doing well after our new treaty-"

The music stopped. "Nooo! Don't talk about boring stuff! Start with something funny!" She resumed playing violin.

Felicia perked up. "Oh! Remember that time you tried to help me cook something?"

He cringed. "Yes… You had me use Siegfried to chop meat and lettuce… I still have no idea how I agreed to that. And then the food tasted… surprisingly nice."

"I called them Sieggy-Tacos!" Elise interrupted. "Oh, uh, forget I'm here!"

Xander shook his head, and Felicia fished for a new subject. "Uhh… Oh! How are… Have you read any interesting books?"

"I did, actually. A book about peace." From where she played, Elise smiled. "A good read, if a bit overly idealistic."

"I read one about these lovers, they eloped to Nestra and then died! Err, there was a bit more to it than that… and I just spoiled it…"

Xander smiled. "I've read that. Corrin insisted."

"Haha, yeah…"

Peri barged in. "Soup's ready!"

Elise smiled, and kept up her performance. Xander and Felicia deserved this. They both worked hard, and did not have much time for each other. It got off to a rough start, but it looked like Operation: Dinner Date would end up a resounding success.

"Thank you for the soup, Peri! Ooh, this spoon is real pretty- Oh! Aah!"

"My eye!"

"Sorry Xander!"

… This was okay. Elise welcomed the challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another mod birthday gift, but this one was on time. I was actually a little stumped trying to think of something to write. So I just went with one of her favorite characters enforcing one of her favorite ships.


	27. Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Felicia, Gunter & Jakob
> 
> Prompt: Felicia's tea is always cold by the time she serves it. So she makes cold, sweetened tea instead. It works.

"Okay, no more messing around! I've got this!"

Felicia had finally done it. She had learned how to serve tea properly.

"Warm the tea, warm the cup, pour the tea, put the cup on the tray, pick up the tray, walk to the table!"

Indeed, she had finally mastered the process. From there, she had learned to deal with her next obstacle- her clumsiness.

"Slooooowly walk! Heel first, toes last! Scan surroundings! Stop walking if I have to! Don't take risks!"

It was even harder for her to master, but she had done it. It would appear she had finally learned how to serve tea-

"It's cold."

"What?"

Gunter sipped the tea. "Definitely cold." He flashed a sympathetic smile. "But for what it's worth, this is new ground for you."

"Awww!" Felicia took a seat across from Gunter and buried her head in her hands. "I'll never learn how to serve tea properly!"

"Now Felicia, I don't condone that quitting attitude," Gunter scolded. "After all, I won't always be here to look after our liege. Could I rest easy, knowing I'd left things to you, who would give up and moan whenever things weren't going well?"

"No…"

"Typical old man," Jakob scoffed, dusting a nearby bookshelf. "Always playing the age card. Reminding us how he's going to die someday, at the drop of a hat. As if that makes him special."

Gunter smirked. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this tea was made by you, Jakob. Since it's cold and bitter like you are."

"It's bitter?!" Felicia repeated in shock, before Jakob could retaliate. "But you only told me it was cold!"

"Well… I was meaning to get to that," the old knight admitted.

Felicia sighed. "Do you know the worst part, Gunter?"

"What's that?"

"I've actually made tea before, back home! And it was good tea!"

Gunter raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes! Even when Father or Flora would make tea, mine was different, and it was their favorite!" Felicia explained. "But the old staff told me not to do that anymore, so I stopped. And now I can't make or serve a good cup of tea!" She hung her head back and groaned. "Uuuugh! Why am I so horrible?!"

Gunter shot Jakob a look before the butler could say anything. He went back to cleaning and Gunter cleared his throat. "Felicia, are you telling me that the way you make tea now is different from the method you used back in the Ice Tribe?"

"Yeah?"

The old man leaned forward in interest. "How did you make tea back home?"

"Oh. Well…" Felicia looked upward and tapped her fingers on the table. "I think… Well, it was still cold. But not just because of time or living in the Ice Tribe. I made it cold on purpose. There were bits of ice floating in it."

"Hmm." Gunter thought aloud. "Some drinks are best served cold. I suppose cold tea could have its appeal…"

"Uh-huh! And that's not all!" Felicia was getting into it. "I'd put the sugar in the drink! The old staff didn't like it because they said Corrin should get to decide how much sugar to add. But Father liked how sweet my tea tasted!"

Gunter smiled. "You know… I bet Corrin would too."

"You think so? Okay! I'm gonna try it!"

Jakob rolled his eyes, and spoke under his breath. "Gods save us."

* * *

"Don't warm the cup, chill the tea without freezing it, pour the tea, use a spoonful of sugar, stir the tea, drop a few ice shards, put the cup on the tray, pick up the tray, walk to the table!"

Felicia began her journey back to Gunter.

"Slooooowly walk! Heel first, toes last! Scan surroundings! Stop walking if I have to! Don't take risks!"

The pink-haired maid set down the tray and bowed.

"Your tea is served."

"Thank you, Felicia." Gunter raised the cup and took a tentative sip. Preparing himself for something colder and sweeter, based on Felicia's description, he was pleasantly surprised. "Hmm… Pretty good."

Felicia gasped. "You mean it?!"

The veteran nodded. "Felicia, I think we've found your niche."

"Thank goodness!" The maid turned over to the butler. "Jakob, want to try it?"

"No thank you," he dismissed, not looking away from reorganizing the books.

"Forget him, he can't even make good coffee," said Gunter. "If you can make another cup of this, I'll fetch Corrin, and we'll see how your tea fares." He smiled. "But I wouldn't be too worried." His smile faded. "As long as you're careful, that is."

* * *

It took all her concentration, but Felicia was able to do an encore. She made the tea just as she had, and even kept it safe as she trekked across the room to the table. This time, it was Corrin seated at the table, as Gunter stood by, arms folded as usual.

"Here you are, here is your tea!" Felicia presented. "Enjoy… please!"

Corrin nodded. "Thank you, Felicia."

This was it, the moment of truth. It took a little persuasion on Gunter's part, to convince Corrin to try this tea. But now the maid could finally see, once and for all, if she can serve a cup of tea her liege would enjoy.

Corrin set the cup down, and stayed quiet, yet focused on another matter. Perhaps letting the taste linger?

Felicia could not bear the suspense. "H-how was it?"

"… I love it!"

"Really?!"

"Yes!" Corrin was beaming. "Felicia, this was great!"

Gunter smiled. "Goes to show, maybe the key to success is doing what one would normally do, instead of what others tell them to do."

"Please, that sounded so forced. And heavy-handed as well," Jakob commented. His eyes then met Felicia's. "However, now that our liege has expressed interest in your brew, I'm afraid I must learn your ways." He cleared his throat. "Felicia… How do you make tea?"

Felicia grinned. "Why Jakob, I'd be happy to teach you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felicia making ice tea. That's actually the drink I've had the most in my life, so when someone requested this, I knew I had to be the mod to write it.
> 
> Gunters faux-losophy at the end was my attempt at slapping on a moral to the story at the last second. But I thought it fell flat, so Jakob said what we were all thinking.


	28. If the Shoe Fits...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: M!Corrin x Oboro
> 
> Prompt: Oboro tries to get Corrin to wear shoes for a special occasion.

Sometimes Oboro could not understand her husband.

A little eccentricity was fine, she had worked for the royal family (and alongside their other retainers) for a long time. She became quite familiar with some of the more colorful personalities in Hoshido. Oboro herself was guilty of having a few quirks. When she first laid eyes on Corrin, the blue-haired woman had some suspicions that he was a little odd. When Oboro had her first extended conversation with Corrin, those suspicions were validated.

Corrin tended to be a bit blunt, he would ask a very personal question before realizing it. Perhaps because of this, another of Corrin's quirks was that he would apologize at the drop of a hat. She and Hinata once had a drinking game over how many times Corrin could say 'I'm so sorry' in one day. Perhaps the cause of this would be his other quirk: the fact that Corrin was optimistic to a fault. While by no means a fool, he was usually the last person to think a bad thought about anybody. A little eccentricity didn't bother Oboro, and she found something strangely endearing about just how odd Corrin could be. But when it came to Corrin's fashion sense…

All bets were off.

"Corrin, put them on."

"I'd… really rather not."

"I know you'd rather not, but I insist that you do it!"

Xander's coronation in Nohr was one week away, and of course the new King and Queen of Valla would be in attendance. With time, a good cause, and an expanded budget, Oboro put her skills to the test, crafting the finest kimonos for herself and her groom. Within their master bedroom, Oboro presented the clothes to her husband, and he accepted them just fine. Corrin went to try them on… and then returned, albeit completely barefoot. Oboro had groaned when she noticed, prompting this argument.

"Do I really have to wear them?" Corrin asked.

"Yes, those sandals were specifically commissioned because they go so well with the clothes I made!"

The king looked around nervously. "Uh, they were… a little uncomfortable."

Oboro began massaging her temples. "Corrin… You've said that about every piece of footwear I've seen you try on."

"Well… maybe I just don't like shoes." He shrugged. "I mean, Azura doesn't wear shoes, I've never seen you mad at her."

"That's because she's not supposed to be wearing an ensemble I helped put together for her. Corrin, those sandals really pull the look together." She glared. "You're throwing my hard work out the window when you ignore them!"

"That's absurd!" Corrin was starting to get agitated himself. "All you did was make the kimono, and that's the part I'm keeping, so I'm not wasting your work at all!"

"I spent an hour telling the cobbler exactly how those sandals should look!"

"Who spends an hour describing sandals?! Aren't they all just made of wood anyway?!"

"Augh!" The blue-haired woman threw her head back. "It's like you don't even care about fashion! You're a royal, you need to look presentable! What does it say about a country if their king runs around, dirtying his feet?!"

Corrin tried to look thoughtful. "… That he feels more comfortable without them?"

Oboro sighed and went to sit on the side of the bed. In frustration, she rested her head in her hands. Corrin sat next to her, twiddling his thumbs.

"… This is really important to you, isn't it?" Corrin's wife gave him a flat look. "Yeah, okay, stupid question."

The queen exhaled.

"Corrin… This isn't the first time we've had this argument. Why do you hate shoes so much?"

"I don't hate them," Corrin started. "I just… prefer not to wear them, if I don't have to. It doesn't help that for the first few years in the fortress, Gunter didn't stop me." Corrin began to look away, reminiscing. "It wasn't until I started training that he wanted me to wear shoes, and by then I was too used to going without." A wry smile crossed his face. "I remember sometimes when I was young, Gunter would hold me down and have Jakob, or Flora, or even Felicia force them on my feet. Heh, sometimes I'd throw them off right away, and Gunter would be furious."

Oboro privately smiled. This sounded exactly like a younger Corrin. The smile went away, as she turned to her husband. "Well… Look. We're both adults, and we're both much bigger than this." She reached out and grabbed his hands. "It would mean so much to me, as your wife and as a seamstress, if you would heed my fashion recommendations." Oboro frowned. "But if you really, really don't want to, then I won't force you. It's not the end of the world."

Corrin shook his head. "No, no… You're right. I'm being childish. I'm so sorry about that." Oboro mentally noted to take a shot later. "Even if I still don't understand fashion, it's clear you put a lot of effort into it, and it means a lot to you. That alone should be reason enough to cooperate." Taking control of their hands, Corrin brought his wife's closer, and pecked them.

The queen closed her eyes started to chuckle, and put her hands away. "All right, you. That's enough brownnosing. We're good." She smirked. "Now, why don't we get you out of that outfit?"

"… What?"

She gave him another flat look. "Because we need to save it for the ceremony, Corrin."

"Oh! Okay… You see, I don't know if you were thinking of it, but for a second there I thought you were suggesting-"

"I- I know what it sounded like, Corrin."

"You do? Because it sounded like you were-"

"Yes! Just… go change back into your other clothes, dear."

"Right. I'm so sorry." (Another shot for later.) Corrin went back to change into his normal outfit. Then, one last time he stuck his head out of the closet, smiling. "Just to be sure, you weren't trying to-"

"Go!" Oboro ordered, beginning to laugh a little. Joke revealed, Corrin conceded and went in to change.

Sometimes, Oboro could not understand her husband. But she did love him, and that was all she really wanted anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone requested this one, and I wanted to try it. I always thought it was weird how Corrin never wore any shoes (to the point of making fun of it in Gray Whirlpool). Why would a hardened and fully-armored (nearly fully in F!Corrin's case) opt to travel the world barefoot?


	29. Cooling Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Flora x M!Corrin
> 
> Prompt: In early marriage, Corrin has to console Flora, that he still loves her even if she can't control her powers.

In all the time they had known each other, Corrin was aware that Flora and her sister carried the power of ice. It was simply a part of his life.

When she was younger, Felicia was even clumsier, freezing entire portions of a room at once, or accidentally icing over food and tea trays. One time when she took a bath, she had somehow frozen the water- with herself still in the tub. In contrast, Flora was more composed. Usage of her ice powers were mostly limited to waking Corrin on stubborn mornings. But ever since they had become more romantically involved, Corrin had learned of a… tendency she had tried to keep hidden:

Whenever Flora got flustered, she would create her own personal blizzard, to calm herself. Seemingly, no one had known this about her. But Flora had started doing it in front of Corrin more and more, up to and including the middle of Corrin's proposal. This would be prophetic, as Flora accidentally dragging Corrin into a snowstorm would become a regular part of married life.

"Ack! I'm so sorry, Lo- … Corrin. I didn't mean to!"

Flora, already prepared for the day, held her hands over her mouth as she watched Corrin struggle. His (now their) blankets had frozen over, keeping him stuck in a very cold bed.

"H-h-how did th-this happ-pen?" Corrin stuttered. Flora blushed, causing the cold winds to intensify, and the prince's eyes widened. "A-actually, w-we can t-talk about it later!"

The blue-haired woman hung her head. "Yes… that would probably be for the best. She then cracked her husband a pathetic smile. "Well, at least you're awake?"

"C-can't f-fee-eel my t-toes!"

* * *

Corrin sat in the dining hall, wrapped in thick, fuzzy blankets and even wearing slippers for once. Flora walked in and presented warm soup on a tray.

"You really don't have to serve-"

"Jakob is tending to Azura and Kaze is visiting his brother. It's either me or Felicia."

"Fair point…"

She gave the tray and soup to Corrin, and allowed her husband to feed himself. After a few bites, Corrin felt well enough to speak. "So… What was it this time?"

Flora sighed, with no small amount of embarrassment. "I… was watching you sleep… again…"

It took all her nerve to not to conjure snow. Corrin nodded. He knew that, even before marriage, Flora would watch him sleep. She had used the word 'adorable'. The young man had hoped that it would mean an end to his cold awakenings, but that was not the case.

"I see," he said simply.

"Corrin, please forgive me. I should be able to control this!" Flora balled her hands into fists. "I'd never had this problem before! Not even when I had a crush on Jakob…" Then it hit Flora. "Aah! I shouldn't be talking about how I used to have feelings for-"

"Flora, it's fine." Flora's breathing quickened, as she tried not to conjure another snowstorm. At least not while Corrin was recovering from her last one. "Flora, it's okay, really!" Corrin pleaded.

Flora sighed. "You keep saying that. But how can you be okay with your wife nearly giving you frostbite every other day?"

"That's easy. Because you're my wife," he explained. "So you have an inconvenient habit. But you're still my favorite person! Smart, friendly, very considerate," he paused with a blush, "pretty…"

She gave a big smile. "Corrin… I'm grateful for the words, and I'm fighting not to lose control again."

"Ah! I'll, get to the point then…" Corrin quickly slurped up some more soup in case he could not ward off another snowstorm. "I love you, Flora. And if a little unexpected snow comes with that, then so be it. You're still the woman I love. And I… actually don't mind seeing this side of you."

"Huh?"

"Well it's like I told you before," her husband began, "I like seeing a more human side to you." He giggled. "It's almost hard to believe you're the same woman who'd always be so aloof back in the fortress."

The nervousness in Flora was beginning to be put at ease. "Thank you for the kind words, dear. That said, I just can't ignore how inconvenient it would be for all involved if I summoned a snowstorm each time I lose my composure."

Corrin shrugged. "If it really bothers you, maybe we could talk about it?"

"Oh, I couldn't get in the way of your kingly duties."

"I'm the king, so whomever needs me can wait until I'm done talking to my queen." He smiled, causing Flora to do the same.

The queen took her seat next to Corrin and put a finger on her chin, contemplatively. "Well… I always feel at home in the snow. And some of the first days in the fortress were my worst, we missed the tribe so badly. Felicia and I made it snow in our room, so we could fall asleep." She looked to her groom. "So I would suppose it started because I felt homesick."

"Interesting…" Corrin ate more of his soup, now engaged in Flora's reminiscing.

"It relaxed me, so whenever I felt truly put upon, I would find a small corner and just… lose myself in the snow." She sighed, remembering how nice the snow felt. Her calm was broken just as quickly, however. "O-only for a few minutes, though! It never interfered with my responsibilities, I assure you!"

Corrin softly grabbed her shoulder. "Peace, Flora. You know I didn't mind when you guys took time for yourselves. Like I said, I prefer this side of you."

"Right… So anyway, it carried on. Whenever I got worked up over anything, I'd use my powers to… cool down. Apparently that's a literal practice for my people." The king giggled. "And spending every day with you… staying by your side… all that on top of becoming a new queen… It's a lot to take in…"

"I understand," Corrin told her. "Really, it's no problem for me."

"I feel a little better, now. We'd never really spoken of my… habit."

Corrin looked at his bowl. The soup was nearly gone, and he was feeling much better himself. "You said it started when you were homesick. Do you… think you would like to visit your old home? Get some closure?"

Flora shook her head. "No. I mean… I wouldn't mind visiting again someday. But talking to you was enough for now." She smiled. "You always did have a calming presence."

Corrin smirked. "I think this morning's snowstorm says otherwise."

She would not let that go without remark. Her smile turned equally fierce. "Are you taunting me? How about tomorrow morning I watch you sleep again? Though I might not be over the sight of you… It'd be a shame if you caught a nasty cold…"

"Uh-oh. I might have just made a mistake…"

Flora covered her mouth, laughing to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrin and Flora are actually my favorite pair from the game, so I wanted to take this request when it was submitted. The idea that Flora likes to watch Corrin sleep was derived from a line she says if you marry her, something about the look on Corrin's face when he has trouble waking up.
> 
> Also, I've been meaning to mention- I am not the only author from the drabble blog on this site. Go check out "Days of our Drabbles" by Spoiler Emblem. Just remember not to bug her with requests, we don't take them on this site.


	30. Motherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Hinata x Oboro, featuring Baby Hisame
> 
> Prompt: Hinata and Oboro trying to raise their son, while Oboro is reminded of her parents.

Years of training as Takumi's retainers had their benefit- whenever baby Hisame would cry into the night, his parents would be ready for him in the span of seconds.

"Aw don't cry, little guy, we're here for ya!" Hinata picked up his son from the crib and held him gently. He tried making funny faces, but Hisame was not amused.

"Waaaaah!"

"C'mon, those are my best silly faces!"

Too tired for this, but not too tired for snark, Oboro cracked a grin. "You can't say that, you haven't even shown him your regular face yet."

"Harsh, Oboro!"

"I'm just kidding… Here, let me hold him."

The boisterous man grunted in confusion. "What are you gonna do? If you're gonna show him that once face of yours, he'll never go to sleep again!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

"Argh…" Oboro rolled her eyes. "No, stupid, I'm just gonna help him relax."

"Oh. Yeah that makes more sense, heh." Hinata gave the baby to his wife and rubbed his own neck. With full custody of the child, Oboro sat down and started rocking him. She held Hisame firmly, yet gently, and calmly hummed a tune. However, this did not seem to work.

"Waaaaah!"

Hinata tilted his head. "Is… Are you humming Hoshido's anthem?"

She glared at her husband. "What of it?!"

"Waaaaah!"

"Well, aren't babies supposed to hear really soothing songs or something?"

"It doesn't matter what song it is, you just have to sound relaxing!"

"Wait, can I hold him again?"

"Waaaah!"

Oboro inhaled through her teeth. "What are you planning?"

"I just remembered, we didn't burp him after dinner!"

Oboro stared forward, blankly. "… Aaaaugh!"

She immediately tended to Hisame's back, in an attempt to relieve him from gas. " _urp!_ " The baby finally stopped crying and began to snuggle closer to his mother. "mamn… mumm…"

"Aww. He has the cutest burp…" she whispered.

"Phew." Hinata watched as Oboro held their boy for a little longer, before putting him back in the crib. With their parenting taken care of, they could finally return to bed themselves.

Hinata and Oboro sat back down in bed, and the father let out a large yawn. "G'night!"

"Night…" Oboro, on the other hand, seemed a little distracted. She lied there on her back, staring up at the wooden ceiling.

_I can't believe it was so simple. How could we forget to burp him earlier? This would be so much easier if he could talk, instead of just crying for everything…_

Then Oboro frowned. _I wonder if my parents had this much trouble with me…_ _Every day I've wanted to be able to speak with them again, but it's even worse now that I'm a mother. I can't talk to them, ask them what I was like, or anything. I wonder if… if they'd be happy to meet Hisame._ Her lips began to curve upward. _Of course they would._ Then she laughed a bit. _They'd probably dote on him more than they'd ever doted on me! Father would probably brag about how his hair color lives on through his grandson. Mother was amazing at designing clothes, she probably wouldn't rest until her grandson was the most stylish infant in all of Hoshido._

Oboro looked outside and saw the moon. Or rather, she saw a lack of moon. It was a new moon that night. The sleepy mother gazed in wonder. "Wow…" she whispered, "I hadn't even noticed… Heh." She looked back up at the ceiling and smiled again. _A new moon… Except, I was sleeping just fine earlier. And I don't feel nervous now. Well, parenting is hard work, but… somehow it feels different from the chores I would always do on these nights._

Then at long last, Oboro closed her eyes.

_Thank you, Hisame. Thanks for helping me to move on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the most Hisame I'll ever write.


	31. Hero or Scum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOTICE - Please don't ask for requests! I don't take them here! Go to the blog (when we're open) and ask there.
> 
> Cast: Arthur & Oboro  
> Prompt: Oboro meets a Nohrian whom challenges all of her preconceived notions.

She watched him as they went into town. Oboro and Arthur were assigned to gather supplies from Dia before their army tackled the trip to Notre Sagesse, and so they went. Along the way, Oboro kept her eye on Arthur. He would get sidetracked from their errands in numerous ways. Arthur would help elderly couples cross the street, or he would search for misplaced pets, he would even stop to play games with local children whenever they asked.

Arthur was the most confusing man Oboro had ever met.

"Okay, what are you up to?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Arthur asked, completely genial.

"You're being so… nice to everyone," Oboro explained, hoping Arthur would infer her message. But instead, she was just met with a smile.

"But of course! Whenever Lady Justice calls, I must answer!" He slowed down a bit. "Unless Lady Elise called first. But usually they coincide, so nothing to fear!"

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

Oboro glared, but did not go full Oni on Arthur yet. "I asked 'why'. Why are you pretending to be so nice?"

The dutiful servant of justice raised his brow. "Me? Pretend? Perish the thought! I live and breathe justice!"

"You can drop the act around me! Especially since pretending to be such a nice guy gets you in so much trouble!" Oboro found it darkly amusing that each time Arthur went out of his way to prove his kindness, he would find misfortune. Maybe if it happened enough, he would give it a rest and be himself. "Like when that carriage knocked you down, or that cat scratched up your face… or when those kids tied you up in rope and left you in an alley!"

Arthur winced. "That last one was probably my fault for not anticipating it, now that I look back. But no harm was done, so all is well!" His brief lapse back to joy was then replaced with a look of concern. "But my, have I done something to slight you, madam?"

At that point, the lancer was starting to suspect Arthur was not putting on an act. She let out a sigh.

"No… I'm sorry, I was just being irrational. Again…"

"You look troubled. Please, feel free to tell me your woes, Ms. Oboro. After all, we're allies!" Arthur flashed his winning smile.

"Well, it's just… I can't help myself. Whenever I see a Nohrian, I just get so angry."

The hero nodded. "Ah, yes. I do recall you scowling when we set out from the Astral Plane."

"It's just... ughhh," Oboro shut her eyes to compose herself. "I instinctively get mad. I'll fight alongside Nohrians if they agree with Lord Corrin's cause, but I still haven't really liked any that I've met." She began to list them off. "That butler, Jakob. Or the cruel wyvern-riding princess and her retainers… that Wolfskin who keeps picking up trash… Then we met those guys who were occupying this town, I've yet to see what they'll do."

"Oh are you referring to Silas and those border guards?"

"Yeah, that's them," she nodded. "With all that on top of past experiences… it's kind of weird to see a Nohrian who's so… nice! I know it's not fair to judge an entire people like that, but… well I guess some habits are hard to break."

Arthur stroked his chin. "Hmm… Did you have an unfortunate run-in with a Nohrian before? One that might have caused this outlook on life?"

"Yeah… I… don't know if I want to talk to you about it though. But needless to say, it really affected me…"

Elise's retainer would be lying if he had said he was not interested to know Oboro's tale. But if she was not ready to tell him, then she was not ready. He waved his hand reassuringly. "In that case, you have nothing to worry about. These things take time and effort. And I can see you're making an effort, so all you need now is time."

"Hmm. That actually makes sense. And you're not upset that I sort of jumped to hating you without getting to know you first?"

"Not at all! The important thing is that you keep trying! And besides, I would not wish to undervalue any traumatic experience of yours just to sooth my ego!"

The blue-haired fighter smiled. "Thanks, Arthur. You know, you're actually not so bad."

"Thank you, Oboro, that's kind of you to say." He then turned and pointed in the direction of a shop. "Now let us procure some vulneraries!"

"Right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an idea I've had for a while, and then the main mod of the blog requested it for his birthday. So it was pretty cool that it lined up like that.


	32. Telling Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Siegbert x Soleil
> 
> Prompt: Siegbert and Soleil become a couple and tell their parents, which Siegbert dreads.

"Y-you want to do what?!"

Soleil shrugged. "Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are! But… why not, right? Heh…"

"Um, I suppose one cannot overlook their heart…"

"We're best friends, right? And we already spend so much time together, right? So why not give it a shot, see where it goes?" She blushed.

The princeling cleared his throat. "Well… I also happen to be… thinking of you more as the days go by. So, perhaps we could… date."

"Cool!" Suddenly she was much happier. "I can't wait to tell Dad!"

Siegbert's jaw almost dropped. "Oh… indeed. Telling… our parents… yes."

* * *

Laslow and Peri were thrilled. Maybe because they both worked for Siegbert's father, but the boy accepted it. Laslow even began to map out wedding plans and honeymoon destinations.

"I do not see what relevance marriage holds to our arrangement at this time, sir. With all due respect!"

Laslow chuckled and slapped Siegbert on the shoulder. "Relax, Siegbert, I'm merely teasing you."

"You know Dad's always been a romantic, Siegbert."

"Ah yes. I still remember the flirting techniques he'd invented."

Soleil cheerily pointed her thumb to herself. "Which I perfected!"

Laslow pointed a finger at his daughter. "Just you wait, daughter of mine. You may win at the flirting game, but you'll have a ways to go before you can match the deep feelings your mother and I share!"

"Bring it on!"

They laughed, drowning out Siegbert's sigh.

* * *

The next day, Soleil found Siegbert talking to a carrot.

"And… Soleil and I have begun to date one another. S-so I hope that's okay with you. Because I-"

"Sieg?"

"Aaah!" The king-to-be quickly hid the carrot behind his back. "S-Soleil, I didn't see you there. I was… rehearsing."

"With a carrot?"

"… Yes."

"Oh… So how much longer are you going to put off telling your father about us? We've been at this for three days, now."

"I am… simply waiting for the appropriate moment. Father is very busy running the country, and surely matters of state hold more importance than a small update on his son's social endeavors."

Soleil raised her eyebrow. "Is… that all you see this as? This is just a small change in your social life?"

"Well… isn't it? Like you said, we already spend a great deal of time together. And you…" He sighed. "I must be honest. I wasn't certain your feelings were genuine. I've… actually wanted to go steady for a while now. I was so relieved when you proposed the idea but… it lacked your usual energy and extraversion. So, it left me uncertain."

At that point, the affectionate girl merely rubbed the back of her neck. "Ah… yeah… Well it's just… ever since I started talking to Ophelia, I've kinda felt… awkward, about being so forward. Turns out, people don't always like it." She stepped forward and grabbed Siegbert's free hand. "You're real nervous all the time, and I wasn't sure if you'd like that, so I… tried not to be… me."

Siegbert raised his brow. "I see… Then, I think for this to work, you should not restrain yourself. How do you really feel about me, and the idea of pursuing a relationship? Please be yourself."

Soleil nodded. "Okay. I'll be honest." She took a huge breath, tightening her grip on Siegbert's hand. "Siegbert you're so adorable, I just wanna pinch your cheeks until they fall off! I wanna wrap you up in my puppy blanket and take you far away! I want to take you to all the tea shops I can think of, I want to look at stars every night with you, I want to just sit down and talk for hours and hours and hours! The way you act so uncertain of yourself, you're like a little bunny who's afraid to leave its den! I get so excited at the thought of spending more time with you, I don't know what to do with myself and freak out!"

She started panting.

"So that…" pant, "that's how I really feel…"

Siegbert was stunned. "O-o-oh my…" Once she let go of his hands, he looked at his carrot and threw it away, freeing his hands to twiddle thumbs together. "So when you originally phrased your proposal-"

"I was just trying to be subtle because I thought you'd like it," Soleil interrupted, catching her breath. Siegbert cleared his throat.

"I appreciate your consideration of my feelings. But please, be true to yourself." His professional demeanor was broken with a warm smile. "I think you're very adorable too. There is something I have been hiding as well."

"What's that?" asked Soleil.

"I have wanted… to paint a picture of us. But every time I consider it, I fear Father may find it, and fear thinking of the right words to tell him. But hearing how you really feel about me, it renews my confidence. Let us try this again." The prince extended his hand. "Soleil, would you do me the honor of-"

"Yes! I'm sorry Sieggy, but you're just so adorable, trying to be prim and proper! I can't bear it anymore! Yes! Yes!" She immediately wrapped her arms around her new boyfriend, laughing.

* * *

Siegbert stood nervously before Xander, with Soleil by his side.

"What did you wish to speak to me about, Siegbert?"

The young prince gulped. "Father… Soleil and I have decided to become a couple."

The king raised his eyebrow. "Does this mean you weren't a couple already? From all the time you spent together, I had imagined you were already seeing each other."

"O-oh…" Siegbert blushed, as did Soleil. She looked to Xander pleadingly.

"You're not upset, are you?"

"Hm? I see no reason why I would be. I think you two would make a fine couple. But thank you for feeling the need to tell me, Siegbert. I like to know how my son is doing."

"Oh of course, Father!"

"I certainly can't wait to see your mother's face," Xander mused. "She'll certainly be delighted."

"Oh… yes. Mother."

Soleil pat Siegbert's shoulder. "There, there. One step at a time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully Soleil wasn't offensive or obnoxious in this? I tried to play up that she seeks cuteness above all else, and finds Siegbert adorable.
> 
> I didn't actually care about this pairing until I was in the middle of writing it, and it grew on me.


	33. It's Not Easy Being Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Oboro x Ryoma
> 
> Prompt: Ryoma helps Oboro adjust to her new role as Hoshido's queen.

By one of the gardens in Castle Shirasagi, Hinata was going all-out, training with his practice dummy. Oboro had come to spend time with her friend, but was too lost in thought to really focus.

"Oboro? You okay?" His eyes widened. "Uh, I mean, Your Majesty, are you okay?"

"Hinata, I've already told you, you can keep calling me Oboro."

"Oh yeah. But still, you seem kinda down!"

Oboro sighed. "Yeah, just feeling kind of stressed."

"Stressed?" Hinata chuckled. "But you're the queen, now! Don't you get whatever you want?" Oboro's response was an unamused stare. "… Am I wrong?"

"Ryoma's not alone running this country, you know. I've got plenty of important jobs myself. I'm even busier than when I was Lo- … _Takumi's_ retainer."

Hinata winced. "Ouch. Well, have ya tried talking to Lord Ryoma?"

"What's there to say? It's just part of the job."

The samurai shrugged, sheathing his sword. "Well if you say so. Couldn't hurt to try!"

"Eh. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

"Where am I…" Oboro looked around in confusion. She was back in bed. "What happened?"

"Ah, you're awake," Ryoma said, wiping his brow. He was dressed casually. "You passed out during the meeting with Xander and Izana's nephew."

The queen winced. "Oh gods." She leaned back down. "How humiliating! What kind of queen just falls asleep in the middle of a negotiation?!"

"Heh! A tired one."

"It's probably because I can't get any sleep at night! I knew that this would come with marrying you, but actually dealing with the stress is another thing entirely! The economic stuff, not offending the Nohrians, dealing with the merchants, helping Takumi find my replacement- Ughh!"

The king nodded. "Being a ruler is no easy task."

"It's just… I'm more of a hands-on sort. That's what happens when you spend most of your life as a retainer." She sighed. "I'm going to pull my hair out figuring all this out, I swear…"

Dutiful person he was, Ryoma went over to sit on the floor by Oboro's bed.

"It's okay, Oboro. We have each other." When his wife began to give him a tired smile, Ryoma returned with a grin of his own. "And we'll have the others helping us too. Hinoka's preparing to take charge of the military, and Takumi aims to serve as my adviser."

"You're right. It's kind of hard getting used to having this kind of authority over everyone, though. I'm too used to being a follower."

"I think that gives you an advantage."

"Oh it does?" Oboro raised her eyebrow, and Ryoma confidently nodded his head.

"Indeed. Since you have extensive experience serving as a retainer, you have a certain perspective that a noble-turned-queen wouldn't have. With that perspective, you can make judgment calls that others couldn't." He gave a soft smile. "And if you ask me, you already have the qualities of a good queen. You're caring, always looking out for others-"

"And if wasn't, I'd be bad at my job," Oboro chuckled. "I remember Azama's cruddy speech at our wedding too."

"Ha! Well he was right, though. You work so hard to take care of others. I think you're a natural fit for the job. You just need a little time. And besides, that's not even going into the most important quality our queen needs."

"And what's that?"

Lovingly, Ryoma took hold of Oboro's hand and pecked it. "The fact that I want to spend my life with you."

The queen blushed. "Did you get that from a trashy novel or something?!"

Ryoma chuckled, and Oboro shortly followed.

"You know, I don't think I've been assigned my own retainers yet."

"That's right… We should get on that."

Oboro grinned. "I actually have an idea about that…"

* * *

Oboro sat upon the newly made throne, placed right next to the Throne of Truth. "All right you two, we've got a busy day ahead of us!"

Orochi and Reina bowed respectfully. Once more they had the honor of serving the Queen of Hoshido.

While Oboro's friendship with Orochi was not as deep as the diviner's friendship with Kagero, they were pretty close ever since Orochi made those ugly masks. This made the change in their dynamic go smoothly, and allowed for efficient work. Reina was a little trickier to work with, but was usually willing to give guidance to Oboro, from her years of experience.

"King Ryoma's attending Sakura's performance in Nestra. And he'll return to find Hoshido in better condition than when he left! He won't even recognize it!"

"Haha! You're so spirited today, _Your Majesty!_ " Orochi teased Oboro with that title, but the queen accepted it.

Reina nodded. "Are there any troublemakers I need be aware of, Your Majesty?" Her use of the title was more formal and respectful.

"Well Ryoma had that meeting with the merchant clan. It'd be improper to glare at them like I'm prone to, so I'll need you to do that for me."

Reina chuckled to herself as her liege faced Orochi.

"And how is construction coming along on that statue of Queen Mikoto, Orochi?"

"I predict-"

"No predictions, just reports."

"Aww!" Orochi cleared her throat. "It should be finished within a fortnight."

"Great! Let's get to work!"

The queen's retainers bowed once more and left. As Oboro was alone, she mentally prepared herself for the rest of her day. But as she was running through her thoughts, she stopped.

"I wonder… What would Queen Mikoto think if she could see me now?" This was followed with a smile. "Heh! She'd probably say the same things as Ryoma. She's probably where Ryoma got it!"

* * *

While Ryoma, Hinoka, and Takumi were in Cyrkensia for Sakura's performance (as Oboro exposited), they were staying in a nice inn. Takumi was enjoying a nice slumber in his room, until Hinata barged in.

"LORD TAKUMI!"

"Ahhh!"

"… Did we ever decide who'd be replacing Oboro as your other retainer?"

Hinata's answer was a pillow to the face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by the same person I wrote another Oboro/Ryoma piece for (Night of the Wedding). As such, I decided to write it as a sequel piece, referencing the events of the other fic.
> 
> Queen Oboro is surprisingly fun to write.


	34. The Part Where Corrin Dies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Corrin & Anna
> 
> Prompt: "Well I can't seem to decide between my families. I'd better off myself."
> 
> (HEY BEFORE YOU KEEP READING, I'd just like to say that this chapter has suicide. Satirical suicide, used to demonstrate a point, and isn't canon to the drabble itself. But if that's still a little too much for you, don't this one.)

"This way!"

"B-big sister?"

"She's my sister!"

"We are your family."

Corrin stared in awe, though her monotone voice betrayed any anxiety she was experiencing.

"Oh. Oh the agony. How could I ever make such a decision?" She could not have sounded less bored even if she were forced to search for typos in every book in Castle Krakenburg's library. "It is just such a painful choice to make. I do not know how I could choose."

"Choose your family, Corrin!" Ryoma called. Xander nodded.

"Yes. We raised you, we gave you a home, friends, and encouraged your growth! We've stood by you for years! That makes us family!"

Corrin robotically shrugged. "I just can't decide. I love all of you so much. It hurts me to make this decision."

The albino princess quickly turned away and poured some water on her face, to replicate crying. She turned back to the others and smiled, pulling out Yato.

"Corrin, what are you doing?!" asked Camilla.

In spite of herself, Corrin still spoke like a machine. "It is too painful to decide. I cannot bear this world any longer. Goodbye my families, I love you all."

Corrin casually plunged Yato into her abdomen.

"Ow."

The deed done, Corrin fell onto the ground.

"Ow again."

Everyone stared in shock, running over to the fallen princess. Xander got off his horse and cradled Corrin dramatically. "Gods, no! Why couldn't it have been me?! WHYYYYYYYYY-" Xander kept going in the background as others began to speak.

"No! She was too good, too pure for this world!" Ryoma lamented.

"B'HOO. …. B'HOO," Camilla cried.

"No! I never got the chance to tell her that I really do consider her family!" Takumi lamented. "Also I may have been ambiguously in love with her and only now realize it."

"-YYYYYY-" Xander was still going.

"This contemptible war…!" Leo cursed. "When will the madness end?!"

Sakura was blubbering inelegantly. She was probably saying something, who really knows?

"Corrin you weren't supposed to go out like this!" Elise was sobbing. "Why Corrin, why?!"

Hinoka was trembling. "No… Noooo!"

"-YYYYYYYYY-"

Jakob walked up to the scene. "Hey, what did I miss?" Then his eyes fell upon the sight of Corrin. "No! Lady Corrin, you can't be dead! Oh wait…" Jakob got closer to Corrin and fell to his knees. "Lady Corrin, you can't be dead! Oh no! Why must the good die young?!"

_And on that day, Hoshido and Nohr reached an understanding. Moved by the tragic casual sacrifice Corrin made, Xander and Ryoma agreed to sign a peace treaty. Oh and Garon disappeared or something. I think he just died in his sleep. I dunno, he was old. Like, seriously, he probably remembers when they first invented dirt._

_The End._

* * *

"Well, what do you think?"

Anna had presented a piece of paper to Corrin for beta reading.

"… Why am I a girl in this?" asked Corrin, the prince.

"Because! I have a sneaking suspicion you'd be even more popular if you were a woman! And it'd be even more sympathetic if you were in that position as a woman, wouldn't it?"

Corrin grimaced. "I… don't think I like the implications of that question. Also, why is the female version of me making such a decision in this story? I… She… _We_ would never do that!"

Anna gestured dramatically. "The pain! The burden! How could one princess-"

"Prince."

"-choose between her two families? It's just too much for her! The world is too cruel!"

"But that wouldn't solve anything!" Corrin protested. "It's not even making a decision, it's just running away from the decision!"

The merchant raised her eyebrow. "Well it's not like you made a decision in real life either, ya know."

"My decision was to not take a side at all."

"Well the Corrin in my play isn't taking a side either!"

The prince looked over the script again. "It just looks like you're making her out to be a martyr."

"No, don't you get it? Everyone's so touched by their sister's sacrifice, it brings them to their senses!"

"There are a lot of reasons why my death wouldn't automatically end that war." The prince gave the merchant a flat look. "One of them being the ancient dragon trying to destroy humanity. By the way, that dragon could control the dead, so I'd probably get used as a pawn like Garon did."

"Well… one never knows…" Anna hawed. "W-what about my prose? How was that?"

"Blunt and as though you weren't even trying."

"Ooh, blunt! I like that! It makes the harshness of the story's world even more effective!"

"Uhh…" Corrin scratched the back of his head. "I actually think it just makes the whole thing look unprofessional, myself." Corrin sighed. "But honestly I'm still upset about the premise. It's just unrealistic! I was admittedly in a dark place that day by the border. But I wouldn't have jumped to something so drastic! Could you even imagine how traumatizing that'd be to all my siblings?"

Anna nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! That's part of the appeal, we get to see how they handle it!"

"But then you cut the story short before you can even truly explore that idea. You get some shock value, but it never amounts to anything."

"That's up to the audience, they get to fill in the blanks themselves!"

"Why, because you can't be asked to follow through on your own idea?"

"Oh everybody's a critic these days!" Anna forcibly took her script back. "You'll eat your words once I get this script published, and audiences around the world are moved to tears by my opera!"

"That was an opera?! But nobody was singing!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really starting to hate the trend of fanart and fanfics where Corrin (usually female Corrin too, weird coincidence) kills herself in Chapter 6 just because she can't hurt either family.
> 
> But it's just... nasty. It's just romanticizing suicide, playing it up as some tragic martyrdom, when it's really Corrin just running away from their decision. We already know how Corrin would avoid hurting both families. It's the Revelation route.
> 
> Oh and Camilla's crying was based off Nicolas Cage crying in one of his movies. I don't know which one, but search 'Nicolas Cage crying' on Youtube and that's it.


	35. Mama Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Hinoka & F!Kana
> 
> Prompt: Hinoka and Kana spend some quality time together.

"Hey Mama?"

"What's up, Kana?"

"I was thinking, and, how come you don't ride a dragon?"

"Huh?"

Hinoka and her little girl were tending to the former's Pegasus, brushing him all over. They were using the special combs Kaden had told Hinoka about. Their conversations went all around little miscellaneous matters, until Kana inevitably brought the subject to dragons. Like always.

"Wouldn't it be cooler to ride a dragon?"

The Sky Knight smirked. "Well, a dragon would be cool, but I can't just leave my friend here behind. He's been with me through thick and thin!"

"Wow! I wish I had a Pegasus!"

"Well… maybe if you play your cards right, we can look into training you to be a Sky Knight someday," Hinoka offered. "We could probably get Cousin Shiro to train you in naginatas."

Kana's response was to stop brushing the Pegasus and nervously sink her head into her shoulders as far as she could. "I… don't know if I want that."

"Oh?" Hinoka also stopped brushing the horse.

"I don't want to fight on a Pegasus, I just want to have one! Then I could fly whenever I want!"

"Heh! I see. Flying is pretty cool, but remember that Pegasi have feelings too. They don't just exist to carry you around." She looked back to her partner. "Isn't that right?"

Hinoka's Pegasus whinnied, almost detecting that he was being addressed. Then the rider turned back to her daughter.

"Just out of curiosity though, is there any reason you don't want to join the Sky Knights?"

Kana bashfully nodded. "I… I'd have to fight people."

Hinoka paused for a moment. Ever since she and Corrin brought Kana out of the Deeprealm, Kana had never actually fought anyone. Nobody's children were ever actually taken out for skirmishes, excepting that time they fought off treasure-hunting ghosts. Apart from that, Hinoka's daughter never expressed interest in going out. She was content to stay at the fortress and help out with menial tasks. It was like having a smaller Felicia.

_No, Kana's not that clumsy._

It was like having a smaller Flora.

"I understand, Kana."

The little girl began to sniffle. "A-are you mad, Mama?"

Hinoka's brow shot up. "What?! What would I have to be mad about?!"

"I-I just said I didn't want to do what you do! And… I heard you telling Papa one time that y-you were worried I wasn't enough like you!" Kana was about to start crying, when Hinoka quickly knelt down and wrapped her arms around the girl.

"Oh Kana, no! Don't ever think like that!" She grimaced, recalling the conversation Kana had apparently overheard. "I… I shouldn't have said that." Hinoka ended the hug and put her hands on her little girl's shoulders. "You listen to me, Kana. Be whatever you want, and that's all I care about! As long as you're happy, I'm happy. Okay?"

"But I _want_ to me more like you, Mama! Whenever you leave, I get so scared! You and Papa could get hurt! But you're not scared at all, you're always going out there! I want to be fearless like you are!"

Hinoka paused.

"… You think I'm not scared out there?"

"Yeah! Why would you keep doing it if you were scared?"

At that moment, Hinoka saw two options. She could pretend to be fearless and instill hope in Kana that nothing bad would ever happen… or she could tell the truth.

"Kana, there's something you should know. I get nervous a lot when I'm out there. Every single time, I'm scared."

"What?! W-why would you keep doing it then? If you're scared, you shouldn't go out there! Ooh!" Kana held out her hands, as if to present something. "That reminds me that Velouria tried to get her mother to go somewhere safe. Maybe you can go with her!"

Hinoka chuckled. "Yeah, Azura mentioned that to me. But I'm going to tell you the same thing she told Velouria- I do this for you. Me and your Papa, we fight all those scary monsters so that you and everyone else can live in a better world." She pat Kana on the shoulder. "With something like that waiting for us at the end, it helps me get over my fears."

"Wow!" Kana was completely awestruck. Adorable as she was, Hinoka privately felt the girl was too easy to sway.

_Maybe she gets it from her father._

"You're so cool, doing things even though you're scared! Now I want to be like you even more!"

That got a laugh out of Hinoka. She stood up and went back to brushing the Pegasus. "Well, even if you don't decide to be a Sky Knight, how about tomorrow I take you for a ride?"

"Really?"

"Uh-huh! At midday tomorrow, after my shift at the armory, we can go."

"Yay! I'll even help you at the armory!" The princess felt a pair of small arms wrapping around her. "I love you, Mama!"

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not one of the requests I originally asked to take on. But when Forsaken and Gray Whirlpool both ate into my drabble-writing time, I decided to take an extra request to make up for it. This was surprisingly easy.


	36. Visiting Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: F!Corrin x Laslow, Xander
> 
> Prompt: After Xander places Laslow under house-arrest, Corrin comes looking for her husband.

* * *

"There you are!" Corrin called.

The princess had been searching for twenty minutes, until she finally found Laslow sitting on a chair in Xander's room. The gray-haired man's eyes brightened as he noticed his wife. "C-Corrin! What brings you here?"

Corrin made her way over to Laslow. "I was looking for you. I finished patrolling, but you never came back to the treehouse. Are you doing something important for Xander?"

"Ah, well…" Laslow blushed. "Not quite."

"What is it then?"

The retainer sighed. "Well… Lord Xander has seen fit to… confine me to this room. Until further notice."

"What?"

"Oh, Corrin. I didn't expect to see you here," Xander's familiar voice was heard. Corrin and Laslow both caught him walking in. He was in less armor than usual, a sign that this was a more casual day for the crown prince.

"Xander, why are you keeping my husband in your room all day?"

"Well, as Laslow told you, I felt it necessary to keep watch on him."

"Oh? I trust your judgment Xander, but remember that Laslow's not just your retainer anymore. He's also _my husband_ ," Corrin countered. For a fleeting moment, Laslow felt optimistic that Corrin could override Xander's authority on the matter and allow him to go free.

Optimism that was dashed when Xander spoke again. "I know. However, I felt that Laslow's behavior was grossly unprofessional. As a retainer, future prince, and _married man_ , he reflected poorly on not just me, but you as well." He cleared his throat. "I apologize if this soils any plans for today the two of you shared."

The princess sighed and looked over to her husband. "Laslow, what did you do _now?_ "

"Ah! My love, it was only some harmless flirting! Merely pretty words that wished to be free from my mind!" His eyes darted around. "And, ah, some scallywags in the tavern, perhaps affected by the ale, overreacted and began to fight me."

"Ugh… Laslow…" Corrin winced, imagining her husband getting into a bar fight. Truthfully, it was a little amusing, but she knew this could not stand.

Laslow winced. "But please, don't take it to mean that our love is no less meaningful, as I said, they were merely words-"

Corrin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Enough, Laslow." She sighed again. "I know your feelings for me are deeper than any random villager your eye catches."

"And if I may boast, my most passionate of words are reserved for you!"

Xander fought not to cringe at the mental images he was beginning to experience. He cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "Not that I wish to make it sound even worse," Xander interrupted, "but the final straw was when he had to be _arrested_ after the incident in the tavern."

"You got arrested?!" Corrin shouted.

"I-in my defense, I think they were overreacting," Laslow said, beginning to sweat.

Corrin groaned. "Laslow, my love… You must take it easy with your flirting! Especially in a room with several drunk men!"

"H-hey, why is it both of you are so concerned with my quirks? I don't wish to sell anyone out, but I think some of the other retainers may have some worse quirks than I."

Xander glared. "Because you're _my_ retainer, Laslow. And no one else's 'quirks', as you call them, have gotten any of them arrested." Laslow mumbled something to himself about Peri, which did not escape Xander. "Is there something you wish to say to me, Laslow?"

"Uh, no sir, merely coughing."

Corrin shook her head. "Xander… what are the terms of his confinement?"

"Corrin?" Laslow was confused.

"Laslow is to report to my chamber immediately, whenever he has a free moment from his duties," the prince answered calmly.

"I see…" Learning that, the princess looked over to her husband. "Well Laslow, my sympathies, and I hope Xander has mercy on you. I'll be sure to visit you whenever I myself have a free moment."

"Wh- Corrin, you're just going to leave me here? B-but I'm your darling husband!"

"You are." Corrin smiled. "But you're also embarrassing my brother. And me, to an extent." She leaned down and pecked Laslow on the shoulder. "Be seeing you, Laslow!"

With that, Corrin was gone. Laslow sighed.

"So much for her sympathy."

The prince found it in him to give Laslow a wry smile. "My sister may have a bleeding heart, but she's no fool."

"No, she's not." He then winked roguishly. "And surprisingly, I think I'm even _more_ attracted to her now. I could get used to Corrin putting me at her mercy…"

Xander sighed.

"You're hopeless."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was just hanging out with one of my friends, and we joked about what would happen if Corrin and Laslow were married while Xander kept Laslow under house-arrest. First we joked that Corrin would overrule Xander, but then I said it'd be even funnier if Corrin agreed with Xander.


	37. Twin Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Flora & Hana
> 
> Prompt: Two similarly-named retainers get to know each other.

"May I help you?" Flora was minding her own business, sweeping one of the bedchambers, when Hana had come in from nowhere, staring.

Hana looked as though she was trying to solve a riddle. "You're… What was your name?"

"…Flora…"

"Oh! Yeah, I guess I see what he meant…"

"Huh?" The maid was at a loss, but did not allow this to distract from her cleaning.

"Lord Corrin and Lady Sakura were talking about us. Corrin said we had the same name, but I didn't understand what he meant at the time." She squinted, as if trying to visualize something. "He also said we were similar to each other, but I don't see it."

"Are you saying your name is also Flora," asked the maid, "or that your name and mine share the same meaning?"

"Kazahana means 'windflower'. And my nickname just means 'flower'," the samurai explained.

"Oh. Hmm…" The blue-haired woman stopped her work to ponder this. "Flora doesn't translate literally into 'flower', but the words are usually associated. It's a mildly amusing coincidence." With that, the sweeping continued. "I have seen you around the camp. From what I've observed, your duties are different than the ones Jakob, my sister and I carry out."

"Yep!" Hana smiled. "If Lady Sakura wanted me to, sure, but my duties are usually about protecting her from danger."

Flora wryly smiled, looking away. "I suppose I'm… decent at combat. I've never held Jakob nor Felicia back."

The samurai nodded. "Oh yeah, Felicia! She's surprisingly tough. And a good sparring partner!" Hana beamed, remembering a recent sparring match.

Flora winced. "Yes, she always was quite skilled…" A sigh followed, catching Hana by surprise.

"What's wrong?"

The maid sighed. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Don't give me that." Hana folded her arms. "I've served Lady Sakura for years, I can tell when someone's trying to be polite to get out of asking for help."

Flora set aside the broom. "Fine, you've caught me. I was thinking of how Felicia's always been the better fighter. How I've always had to work hard to catch up. But I've never been great at fighting, so I put everything into my domestic skills."

Hana sputtered. "Wh-what?! So in other words, you've given up on fighting? What kind of attitude is that for a retainer?!"

The maid shut her eyes, irritation setting in. "Well we _are_ dissimilar, if you recall."

"That does it!" The samurai hammered her fist into her other hand. "I'm going to train you! It won't do to have a retainer who refuses to get stronger, so I'm giving you the push you need!"

"You are?" Flora bit her lip. "I'm not sure about that. I think you'd be better off helping someone else, or even furthering your own training."

Hana shook her head, a cocky grin on her face. "Nuh-uh, you're not getting out of it! We might be different, but us retainers have to stick together! So come find me tomorrow morning, we're getting up bright and early! … Unless you're cleaning something. Then come after!"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

* * *

 

The training did not go as well as Hana had hoped. Flora was not proficient with a sword. In the time it took her to cut one log, Hana could have sliced ten. Maybe eleven. And that was just the beginning. Flora spent all morning stumbling through Hana's most basic regimen.

"Hmm," the samurai began, "this went smoother in my head."

"I had a feeling it would be this way," Flora confessed. "I'm more adept at throwing daggers."

"Ooh, like Kaze? We should probably set up some targets for you, then!"

Flora frowned. "Well, 'adept' might be a strong word. I am a decent shot. But Felicia was a prodigy."

"Geez, you're always comparing yourself to Felicia, aren't you?" Hana glared, but it soon became a frown. "Maybe we are more alike than I thought…"

"We are?"

"Everyone always talks about how perfect Subaki is at everything, how Lady Sakura couldn't ask for a better retainer. But he's not perfect! Did you know he- … Ah, I shouldn't tell you…"

Flora tapped her chin, thinking back. "My 'perfect' colleague isn't so perfect either. While Felicia excels in combat, she isn't very good at housework. That's why I take it so seriously. It's the one thing I have over her." A blush formed on Flora's face. "N-not that I don't want her to succeed, it's just…" She sighed. "I'm not a good sister."

"That's not an attitude for any retainer!" Hana scolded. "Listen. I remember how I always tried to beat Subaki at things. But then I remembered that we both want what's best for Lady Sakura. Suddenly, competing wasn't as important."

"I… suppose that makes sense. Lord Corrin doesn't play favorites either." Flora clenched her hands into fists. "But I must still be the best that I can be for Lord Corrin. I swore loyalty to him after he showed me mercy, it's the least I can do."

"Yeah, that's the spirit! Just stop trying to outshine your sister, and focus on what Corrin wants!" Hana smiled. "Now, let's go get those targets! And after that, we're sparring!"

"Ah, really?" asked Flora.

"Yep! Can't go easy on this kind of thing! If you want to get tougher, you gotta push yourself!"

"Yes, that makes sense." Flora sighed. "Be strong, Flora. Strong for your liege."

* * *

 

Hana was sprawled out in the grass, as Flora knelt beside her. The maid held a Heal staff over the samurai's right leg.

"I wish I could heal people. Then I'd be an even better retainer for milady…" Hana sighed. "She's usually the one healing me. I know we're best friends, but I shouldn't need her help."

Flora smiled. "Lord Corrin's the same way. Always trying to assure us that we're doing well and should take breaks when we reach our limits." Then the maid's smile went away. "Back to the matter at hand, I apologize for all the scratches. I may have gotten carried away."

"Ha! That was nothing!"

"Well at least these cuts should disappear without leaving any trace. But perhaps you shouldn't leave your leg bare?"

The samurai winced. "Yeah… That's what happened to my other leg. You can't see it, but my other leg has a few scars. I'm proud, though, since they show that I've protected milady. But Lady Sakura was so upset when they wouldn't go away, so I keep them out of sight."

"I see." Flora stopped healing. "Okay, the rest of it will heal on its own."

"Thanks, Flora." Hana stood up. "You know, I think you really sell yourself short. That was a good fight. We should train more often, we'll both get better!"

Flora nodded. "As long as you take it easy for a while. And if it doesn't interfere with my responsibilities."

"Huh. Maybe we're still not _that_ similar…"

Flora could not help but giggle, and soon enough Hana was laughing as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the same time I came up with Visiting Hours, the last drabble, I also came up with this one. I like to pair Corrin and Flora in the game, but I was going to pair him with Hana in my next Birthright run, and then I noticed their names both relate to flowers. And it just went from there.
> 
> This one went through a few versions before I decided on what they would actually do together. It's divided into three scenes like a support conversation. Also threw in headcanons about Hana while I was at it.


	38. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Elise & Sakura
> 
> Prompt: Elise visits Sakura after the latter is taken prisoner, and struggles over her sense of right and wrong.

"Hey…"

Elise couldn't find the right words. But she had to do _something_ for Sakura. Here in this tiny room in the newly conquered Fort Jinya, where the little princess was kept in isolation, Elise had to search her mind and find the right words: something, _anything_ to console the poor girl.

"I brought you some food," Elise started, "uh, I don't know what you like, but I hope you like it!" She set down the tray of leftover steak on the ground close to Sakura. The priestess was completely silent. She sat by the wall, hugging her knees close. She made no sounds and never once acknowledged Elise's presence.

Ever since Izumo, Elise could not get the Hoshidan princess's words out of her head, the words she had given Corrin:

_I was just, um...th-thinking...it's really nice to finally see you again. I'm glad you... I'm glad you f-found a way to be happy..._

At the time, Elise scoffed. _She_ was Corrin's little sister, not this girl, and Elise declared herself as such. As though pretty words could drive Corrin to abandon Nohr and go back to Hoshido. That princess, she was Elise's arch-nemesis…

Or so she thought.

"It's… kind of cold, isn't it?" No response. "So here's a blanket. It's no problem, really."

Then the attack on Fort Jinya happened. That jerk Hans came in and started killing Hoshidans even after Corrin and Xander got them to surrender. Sakura begged to be allowed to heal the wounded, but she never got that chance. It was only through Xander's quick thinking that they had managed to imprison a few of the stragglers, sparing them. Though, being a high-profile prisoner, Sakura was being kept away from the rest.

This was too cruel, even for her nemesis. No one should have to go through what Sakura did, Hoshidan or otherwise.

Elise then realized that the two of them were rather similar. The youngest in their families, princesses at that. They even specialized in healing magic. And while Corrin was indeed part of Elise's family (not Sakura's), the foreign princess still came across as a friendly person, not unlike Elise. Perhaps in another life, the princesses could have been friends.

"Um… I don't know what to say," Elise admitted. She could not bear to look at the broken princess sitting before her. "I'm sorry about what I said to you in Izumo. That was uncalled for, huh?"

Sakura said nothing.

"Yeah, it was…" Elise looked around awkwardly. "Corrin told me about you, about all of you, from the time when… well, you know." The lack of any response was beginning to bother Elise, but she had to keep trying. "They were kind words. You seem like a really good person."

Elise had seen for herself how the other princess had strived to protect her people. The whole time at Fort Jinya, the people of Hoshido and all the wounded soldiers were at the top of Sakura's priorities. Elise found herself reminded of a conversation she had held with her oldest brother, when he found her reading a certain book…

_Oh, this? It's a book about peace._

_It says it's important to never fight when it's possible to avoid it. And to always have compassion for others, even for your enemies._

Thinking back, it came as no surprise that Elise would find herself tending to the Hoshidan princess. It really did give her a new perspective, especially in light of some troubling thoughts that had plagued her mind. From the day the princess had become an adult (from Nohr's legal perspective), everyone had told her to act like one. So why did they turn around and insist that she destroy her enemies, rather than show compassion?

Sometimes Elise humored the idea of Xander passing the throne to her instead of accepting it for himself. Usually this led to the wildest of fantasies. But lately, she had found herself thinking about it more realistically. She decided: if Queen Elise were in charge, she would not even have this war in the first place. There had to be a way to feed Nohr without sacrificing innocent lives on both sides.

But that would not happen. Garon had already declared war, and Xander would take the throne when Garon passed on. If Xander had no children, Camilla or Leo would take the throne, and then pass it to their own children. Elise had no chance.

So instead, Elise would just have to do whatever she could with whatever she had available. Starting with showing compassion to her former nemesis- a defeated princess who did not deserve this pain. "Do you need anything else right now?"

Sakura remained silent.

"D-do you want me to find where they're keeping your friends? Tell them you're okay?"

Nothing.

Elise sighed. "Well, I'm going to be busy, but I'll see you again later. If you think of something, you can tell me then, all right?" Sakura said nothing, and Elise was beginning to wonder why she should expect any different. "O-okay then. I'll see you later…" The young Nohrian princess had walked out of the room, leaving Sakura with her meager food and her blanket.

When she heard the door shut, Sakura slowly lifted her head. She stared at the gifts, her face wet and her eyes red. Just as solemnly, she winced, and went back to her original position, quietly sobbing into her knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when I was writing Forsaken, LovelyLori and I were talking about Sakura being imprisoned during Conquest, and how Elise visited her at one point. Given my my fic's series of events, Sakura was never taken prisoner, so this would never come up. But it did give me an idea to try to write out the scene of Elise trying to console Sakura, so here we are.
> 
> Between writing Forsaken and reading some other good Sakura-related fics, she's becoming one of my favorite characters.


	39. Calamity Sophie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Hana x Silas, Toddler Sophie
> 
> Prompt: Hana and Silas live together with their clumsy child.
> 
> AU: Slightly modified Birthright where Silas stayed in Hoshido afterward

_CRASH!_

Silas barely reacted as he got up from bed and went to find a broom. However, he was a little surprised to see his little girl had already found her way to the broom closet.

"Sophie?"

The toddler stopped and crouched down, pretending to hide. Silas chuckled. She still thought that if she closed her eyes, Silas could not see her.

"Sophie, did you accidentally knock over a vase again?" Silas asked patiently. The brown-haired girl meekly nodded. "And were you going to try to clean it up so we or Uncle Jakob wouldn't have to?" She nodded again. Silas then took the broom and tousled her hair. "Thank you for being honest, Sophie. But I don't want you touching the broken vase. I'll take care of it. Just be careful, okay?"

"…'Kay."

Sophie ran away, to Silas' chagrin. "No running, you could trip again!" He shook his head and yawned, looking out a nearby window. "Sunup already? She must get it from Hana… I might as well be awake too."

* * *

Today would be a productive day, Hana could feel it. As per usual, she woke up early and began practicing her swordplay. It would be one hour until Sakura needed to wake up, so she had some time.

Training was going smoothly. That practice dummy would think twice about hurting Lady Sakura. Perfecting the Astra technique, Hana unleashed a montage of sword attacks, with kiai accompaniment.

"Hah! Hyah! Hah! Hiyah! Haaaah!"

"Ha."

The new voice snapped Hana out of her zone. She turned around and saw Sophie haphazardly swinging a large stick (or perhaps a small branch) at another training dummy. The samurai chuckled, watching the toddler trying to imitate her mother.

"Ha."

Then Sophie prepared for a big swing, but the stick (no, definitely a branch) was too heavy. Its weight was too much and Sophie fell onto the ground. "Oof!"

"Pffffft! Hahahaha!"

Sophie looked over to her mother and blushed, making a moaning sound. Hana sheathed her sword and went over to pick Sophie up. "You're so funny, Sophie. You crack me up!"

Sophie moaned again, which just amused her mother more. Hana's daughter would always bounce back, so Hana felt no shame in laughing. She set Sophie down, but held onto her hand. "You're too young to use a sword, Sophie. You could hurt yourself."

"But mama." Complete sentences were still a somewhat new thing for her. Hana stifled another chuckle at her daughter's orphaned statement.

"I have an idea. Want to help Mom make breakfast for Lady Sakura?" Sophie merely blinked. "Oh, and we'll make you something too, don't worry!" The little girl slowly nodded, making her mother smile. "Okay, let's go!"

* * *

Today, Corrin and Sakura did not have much to do, thus they decided to have a picnic. And wherever Corrin and Sakura went, their retainers were not far behind. The siblings also decided to bring the castle's children along: Shiro, Kiragi, Selkie, Sophie and the babies, Kana and Midori.

Silas and Hana watched Sophie as she played with the three older kids. She kept falling over a lot. At one point when she tripped, she actually grabbed Kiragi's collar and pulled him down with her. Luckily, they were okay and Kiragi laughed it off.

But all the same, Silas winced at the sight of this spectacle. "Hana, have you ever noticed that Sophie is… a little clumsy?"

"Pfft! Are you saying you haven't?" The pink samurai proudly pat the hilt of her katana. "Nothing a little training can't fix! She might be a little young to train for combat, but if we get her some kinda exercise routine, I'm sure it'll work out."

Silas let out a small laugh. "Training is your answer to everything."

"Don't insult me, I can talk about other things, you know!" Hana lightly punched Silas on the shoulder, or at least that was her intent, seeing as he actually winced from the pain. "Besides, I'm sure she'd be a good fighter someday. 'Clumsy at the heels, deadly in the field' as they say!"

"What?" Silas looked over. "No one's ever said that."

"W-well maybe I'm going to make it a thing that people will say!"

Silas smiled, but then began to contemplate Hana's phrase. "Well there is a precedent for it. Felicia is pretty tough, after all. And she can't go more than three days without spilling something." He frowned. "But the war is over, I'd rather not think of Sophie as a soldier."

"Yeah… But if she was a soldier, I bet she'd be a great samurai, just like her mom!" Hana pointed at herself proudly. "Did I ever tell you how she tried to imitate me the other day?"

"Hah. That's nothing," countered Silas, "the other day she was asking me for a horse. Soldier or not, I bet she'd be a great horse rider like me. Then we'll both ride circles around you."

The samurai glared. "I'm not that bad at horseback riding!"

"Haha! You beat Subaki that one time, but you're even worse than that one incident of his you keep laughing about!"

Despite her indignation, Hana found it in her to laugh. "Haha! Maybe that's where Sophie gets it."

The knight playfully shrugged. "I guess that means you've won this one. Sophie takes after you more than she does me."

"Oh sure! Suddenly when it comes to being clumsy, she's _my_ daughter! Is that right?"

Silas laughed, and then Hana began to laugh again.

" _Mama, Papa! Stuck!_ " Sophie called out. The parents snapped out of their competition and found Sophie hanging by her shirt from a tree branch. She seemed mostly calm about it though, contrast her parents.

Hana and Silas ran over as fast as they could. "Whaaat? Since when could she climb trees?"

Silas carefully, yet easily, rescued Sophie from the tree branch and held her in his arms. "Sophie, how'd you get up there?"

"We were climbing. But I was stuck. They left."

Hana narrowed her eyes. "The other kids abandoned you? I'm going to have to have a talk with them…"

"I'm sorry…" Sophie pouted, surprising her parents. "I mess up a lot. Am I bad?"

Silas gasped. "No, Sophie! You're not bad at all!" He hugged his daughter tightly. "You're just a little clumsy, that's normal."

"Yeah, don't worry," added Hana, "we'll always be proud of you!" She then formed a mischievous grin. "In fact… I know someone who had some pretty bad accidents before."

"Who was it, Mama?"

"It was your Uncle Subaki."

Sophie gasped. "But he's perfect!"

The samurai chuckled and held out her arms, thus Silas passed the child to her. "C'mere, Mom's going to tell you a little story…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurs to me that a lot of the married endings (especially for Revelation) don't make sense. Or really most of the cross-country endings. Silas serves as a beloved knight of Nohr while Hana still serves Sakura? Unless this is Revelation and Sakura marries Leo or Xander, that's going to be a little tricky. So I just had Silas stay in Hoshido.
> 
> Shiro, Kiragi and Midori's mothers are intentionally ambiguous. The same goes for Corrin and Kana's genders. Sakura is Selkie's mother. Hinoka ain't got time fo' dat.


	40. Undercover King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: King Garon
> 
> Prompt: King Garon is on an episode of Undercover Boss.

_Every week, we follow the boss of a different organization as they go undercover, and figure out what's really happening. Are things going as they seem? Or is someone keeping a secret from the chief? You're watching Undercover Boss: Castle Krakenburg._

King Garon sat on his throne, scowling.

_This is King Garon, the current monarch presiding over the kingdom of Nohr. Right now they're fighting a war to conquer the land of Hoshido and bring glory to the homestead._

Garon stepped out of a closet, dressed as a butler, with no crown, wearing one eyepatch, and with his hair styled into a ponytail.

_Today, Garon will go undercover as a butler named Ryan._

* * *

Garon: "I've been getting complaints that my way of dealing with grievances is… bloody. I executed the one whom told me this, and after that, I really sat down and thought about it. Maybe I'm a little out of touch with my people?"

* * *

_Our mages have hidden enchanted stones around the castle, allowing for surveillance. The staff will go on as usual, unaware that Ryan the butler is actually King Garon._

'Ryan' kicked a door down to Elise's bedroom, startling her awake. "Aaaaah!"

"I'm Ryan, the new butler, here to clean your room. Get dressed and get out so I can do it!" commanded Garon. "Don't keep me waiting, child!"

"Wh-where are Arthur and Effie? Usually they wake me up!" The little princess then looked out the window and saw that it was still dark out. "What? Aww, I didn't have to get up until at least morning today!"

Garon scowled, but caught himself and shrugged. "Well, I mean… Good that your room be cleaned sooner rather than later, right?"

Elise frowned. "Can I just fall asleep while you clean around me?"

"I gave you an order, my ch… Very well," Garon conceded, remembering the façade.

* * *

Garon was sweeping the floors in a hallway and talking to Peri and Laslow. "So what do you think of His Majesty? He's going to knock those Hoshidans down a peg, and make Nohr great again. Pretty neat, right?"

"I like it," chirped Peri as she clapped her hands. "All the Hoshidans are gonna bleed, and it'll be so much fun killing them!"

Laslow winced. "Eh. I don't actually like the idea of needless killing. I think we could've avoided full-blown war. But orders are orders."

The 'butler' dropped his broom and marched over to Laslow. "That's correct. You are to follow your orders. Do not forget this, retainer!"

Garon went back to work, leaving Laslow and Peri to give each other awkward looks.

* * *

Garon was sitting near Leo in the banquet hall at lunch, with Niles and Odin keeping a close watch on him. "Prince Leo. Did you know that King Garon's actually a cool dude? I heard he's quite the," he flipped through a lingo pamphlet, "player!"

Leo frowned. "Yes, and his inability to end relationships led to his concubines all trying to kill each other and their kids. It traumatizes me and Camilla to this day. Your point?"

"Uh-"

Niles chuckled. "Who knew he had it in him, though? I mean, I've had some butter faces in my time, but Garon's on a whole new level."

"Care to repeat that?" Garon probed, with Leo rolling his eyes.

* * *

Leo: "That butler is Father in disguise, isn't he?"

* * *

"Well I mean… sure he's the king, but I don't even see how the most desperate wenches could fall for- AAAAH!" Niles was hit with a fireball from Garon's hand.

"Hey Niles look, I can do magic. Isn't that something?!"

Odin gulped.

* * *

( _Odin looks panicked.)_

Odin: "That Ryan guy _sucks!_ "

* * *

Garon had finished making a meal and was about to take it out of the kitchen, when Mozu stopped him. "Whoa! Ya can't just serve that meal! It's hideous!"

"But-"

Mozu took the tray of food away. "No buts! I'm giving this thing a proper burial, meanwhile you can start over!"

"How did this castle even get a Hoshidan chef?" Garon questioned.

"Well I happen to be Xander's wife."

"Xander got married?!"

The farmer nodded. "Surely did."

* * *

"You're not that good at sewing, are you?" asked Camilla. She was sitting at a table and mending a dress. "Well lucky for you, I happen to know a thing or two about sewing. But you really should know how to do this."

Garon sat next to Camilla, glancing awkwardly. "Well, uh, they didn't ask me to sew back at my last job."

"That reminds me," Camilla spoke as she worked, "where was your last job? It seems suspicious that this castle would suddenly employ an unskilled, elderly butler from the blue."

The faux butler's eyes widened. "Well, you see, I used to work in… in… Cheve, yeah that's it!"

"Hmm…"

* * *

Camilla: "I'm having Beruka investigate Ryan."

* * *

Garon was washing a window, with Jakob standing nearby and folding his arms. "No, no! You rub the cloth in circular motions! Circular!"

"O-of course."

"Start from the top of the window and work your way down," Jakob explained. "Honestly, it's like you've never even buttled before!"

Garon took a deep breath. "I would appreciate it if you were a little less stern."

"Well _I_ would appreciate it if you could clean the windows properly," Jakob's remark made Garon grit his teeth.

* * *

Jakob: "Ryan is simply dreadful in all domestic fields. No wonder this castle is such a madhouse. His punctuality is skewed, his tea is bitter, and dear gods, _his cooking!_ "

* * *

Garon: "I'm beginning to understand what it's like to be a domestic servant. It might mean nothing to you, to throw something on the floor. But someone will have to pick it up. You might be a messy eater, but someone else will have to wash the plate. Actions have consequences."

* * *

'Ryan' was supplying Xander with towels to wipe his sweat, in the middle of the training grounds. "We're having new faces all the time it appears. First my sister is allowed to live with us, Azura comes back home, that Hoshidan ninja joins us… Things are changing."

"Changing in a good way?"

Xander sighed. "I… don't know. Father is adamant that we have this war with Hoshido. He's just become so distant lately. I want to believe that he'll be his old self again after we win. Then maybe things can be as they were. He didn't even attend my wedding."

"Hm."

"There've been a lot of victims. Like Mozu. She didn't deserve to have her village slaughtered by Faceless," Xander said wistfully. "The two of us have become quite close, but it pains me to know that her family is beyond my help."

* * *

Garon: "Hearing that Xander's wife had her village destroyed by Faceless… it moved me. Not enough to regret sending those Faceless to attack, but almost."

* * *

The disguised king snuck up on Mozu from behind. "Hoshidan."

"Gaah! Heavens to Betsy, don't sneak up on me like that Ryan!" Mozu wiped her brow. "What is it?"

"I ran into King Garon, he wanted me to give you this," he gave the farm girl salt canister. "He said to salt the earth to avoid unwanted seeds."

"Um… thanks…"

* * *

'Ryan' walked into a small lounge room full of retainers and the royal heirs. "Everyone I have an announcement. You may know me as Ryan the butler. But I am actually-"

"You're King Garon," Gunter blurted out. "We knew when you threw a fireball at Niles."

"I knew the whole time," said Felicia, avoiding Garon's stare.

The king paused. "You… why didn't anyone say anything?"

Elise shrugged. "We just figured you were having a midlife crisis."

Garon had no response.

* * *

Garon: "I think I learned a lot today. Now I know what life is like for everyone else in this castle, and it will give me new perspective on the war."

( _Garon leaves, revealing an unconscious Niles in a prison cell behind him_.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea just came to me late one night. I imagined Mozu ranting at one of the royals about proper farm work, and remembered that SNL skit about the Star Wars villain going on Undercover Boss. So it just morphed into this.


	41. Take a Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: (F!Corrin x Niles, Nina, M!Kana)
> 
> Corrin's kids find her collapsed from overworking, so they and Niles try to lighten her load.

 

"Uhhh, Nina?" Kana asked nervously, standing at the lottery shop's doorway.

Nina was behind the desk and snapped out of a reverie. "What is it? I'm trying to fantasi- I mean I'm focusing! I mean… uh…" She sighed. "What is it?"

"Mama doesn't usually take naps on the grass, right?"

"No. Why would she?"

"Hold on Mama, I'll help you!" Kana ran out the door. Nina quickly followed her brother, leaving the store unattended.

* * *

Corrin's senses returned to her, as she found herself back in bed.

"Wha… Where… Huh?"

Niles was sitting nearby, watching her. "Oh you're awake. About time."

"Did I… fall asleep?"

Niles shrugged. "Kids said they found you lying in the grass. Lady Elise and that other princess took a look at you, they said you were just exhausted, but otherwise you're fine."

Corrin's face turned red. "Oh dear. I must've just collapsed from exhaustion or something."

"You have been busy lately…"

"Well, I just had a lot I needed to take care of around the fort. Assigning shifts, refereeing the arena, monitoring prisoners, supervising the mines…"

"You always were a goody two-shoes," Niles teased. "Or a goody no-shoes in this case. Running around, doing errands and hovering over everyone…"

The half-dragon laughed to herself. "What, too altruistic for you, Niles?"

"Ha! If it were anyone else, I'd think this was all some plan to get into everyone's good graces. But since it's you, I can actually believe you'd tire yourself doing favors for people. You're almost as bad as that Kitsune."

"I can't help it," Corrin admitted. "I've brought us all together, so this army is pretty much my responsibility."

"You have, like, four personal servants at all times. And all your siblings love you to death," said Niles. He then winked with his one eye. "And you have me. So I really don't think you'll have a problem finding someone to fill in for you when you get tired. Most of us work as retainers, it's pretty much all we know anyway."

"Oh, it's not like I'm too embarrassed to ask for help. Maybe Takumi, but not me." Niles chuckled, his impression of the prince based purely on Lord Leo's first interactions with him. "It's just… I want to show everyone that I can do it, so they won't worry. That's the kind of thing Xander, or even Ryoma, would do." She gripped the edge of her blanket. "But even if my reasons are different, it's still the same problem, isn't it?"

"You really don't need to worry what everyone thinks. I told you, everyone loves you." The outlaw put a finger to his chin. "I'd actually despise that about you if I didn't feel the same way."

"Was that a compliment?"

"Eh, I'm not the best at making things sound good."

Corrin smirked. "That's because you try to make them sound as bad as possible."

"Hey now, you agreed to marry me, so it must not be that bad," Niles teased. "But really though, don't overwork yourself. You keep saying we're all in this together, right?"

"You're right. I'm sorry for worrying you all."

"Ooh, and poor Kana…" Niles was not above using his wife's doting nature to get quick amusement. "He was just bawling his eyes out!"

"Nooo…"

"Oh, the look on his poor face…"

"My poor son!"

Niles shook his head, grinning. "I swear, it's like you've become a second Camilla."

"Oh, suddenly I'm too doting?" Corrin began, feeling confident. "I seem to recall somebody sneaking Kana an extra cookie before bed every night last week."

Corrin's husband immediately blanched. "… I can neither confirm nor deny."

With that, both spouses broke out into laughter, and then Nina poked her head in the door. "Uh, Mom? Dad? Is everything okay now?"

"Huh? Oh, yes Nina, I'm fine. I just forgot to take a rest, and my body did it for me!" Corrin explained, now beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. "Thank you for worrying for me. And Kana too! I should probably-"

"Stay there, while the rest of us take care of matters? Good idea."

"Dear…" Corrin tried not to use first names in front of the children.

"Corrin, it's fine." Niles had no such reservation. "I think the three of us can do whatever it was you were doing just fine. So take a rest. Doctor's orders."

"Yeah," Nina walked in, "don't worry about it, Mom!"

Corrin sighed, but did not appear bothered. "All right. You win, I'll stay put."

"Good." Niles leaned in and shared a kiss with his wife, before leaving. "Nina, you know where we keep the tomato juice in the mess hall? Let's go give Lilith some of that."

Corrin watched her family leave, and chuckled. _Lilith hates tomatoes. Buuut I'm sure she'll deal with it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the first time I've taken on a request starring the F!Corrin/Niles family unit (though I think a different person asked for it). This time I focused more on the parents.


	42. Welcome Aboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: (Selena, Beruka, Laslow, Peri, Odin and Niles)
> 
> Prompt: The Awakening Trio first meets their coworkers. And they're all psychotic.

"So you're Beruka, aren't you? Lady Camilla's new retainer?"

"… Yes." Beruka did not look up from polishing her axe.

Selena scoffed. "I don't get it. You try to kill Lady Camilla, and she just hires you. Just like that!"

Beruka already did not care for this noisy girl. "That is what happened, yes."

"I had to work my butt off fighting all those tough knights to prove myself. How tough are you, anyway?"

"If you'd recall, I successfully infiltrated the castle and nearly executed Princess Camilla."

The red-haired girl awkwardly looked away. "Oh, well, I guess that's true… Wait, you were an assassin, right? I'm not judging, my dad was one too. But what I wanna know is why you ride a dragon, and why you carry that big axe. How sneaky is that?!"

Beruka sighed. "When your mission is to eliminate someone, it's best to make absolutely sure they're dead." She stopped polishing and inspected her axe. "It's easy to tell whether or not someone's dead, with an axe."

"Wait, what about the dragon? And that reminds me, Lady Camilla said your armor used to belong to her? How does that even work? Gods, she must've hit the puberty jackpot!"

"I was born in February. She was born in the November afterward."

"Huh? You look so young though…"

Beruka went back to her task. "Have you no other business? I don't like conversations."

This just made the twintail-haired girl scowl. "Oh, well sorry I'm such a bother! Fine, I know when I'm not wanted!"

Selena was about to storm off, but then Beruka looked up. "Wait."

"Now what?!"

"… I apologize. I didn't mean that you were annoying." Beruka found her quite annoying, but that was not her reason. "There was no deeper meaning. I just sincerely dislike having conversations."

"I-is that so?" Selena grew somewhat embarrassed. "Well… apology accepted. And… sorry about picking at you."

"You've served Lady Camilla for some time. It's natural you would be suspicious of someone you'd be expected to work with out of nowhere. Especially given my… entrance."

"That reminds me, I'm still freaked out you managed to get in Lady Camilla's room without me knowing! Mind sharing some of your secrets?"

"I would, actually."

"Oh, all right! But I wanna spar against you soon! I should know how you fight!"

"… Fair enough."

Selena finally smiled. She would not let herself be inferior to this new retainer. She would be the best retainer Lady Camilla had ever recruited, past, present, and future. And she would make sure everyone knew it.

* * *

 "Ah, you must be Peri," Laslow said as he greeted the woman with oddly-colored hair. "So Prince Xander took a liking to you as well, I see."

"Yep! I've killed a lot, so it was easy to fight in that tournament!"

Laslow was taken aback by this blunt statement, but did not let it show. "Yes, well, better our new lord has guards whom know what they're doing, right?"

"Yeah. Lord Xander's nice, I sure hope nothing bad ever happens to him! But I guess that's what we're for!"

Laslow nodded. "Yes, we've been given a great responsibility." He cleared his throat. "Well, what say we get to know each other better before we report in tomorrow? I've heard of a lovely café nearby…"

Pleased with the idea, Peri closed her eyes and smiled. "Okay! I'm thirsty anyway."

"Marvelous! I've been meaning to check it out anyway." He winked. "I hear their server doubles as a maid!"

Peri's eyes shot back open. "Maid…"

"Er, perhaps not the best time to bring that up…" the mercenary nervously admitted.

"I can't go after all."

Laslow's smile turned upside-down. "Really? Fear not, my attention will not stray from our conversation. Not with a face as wonderfully unique as yours!"

"No, it's not you. I'm in a support group for angry people, and if I keep looking at that maid… I'm gonna stab her."

Laslow jolted. "Wh-what? D-did I mishear you? Stab her?"

"Yuh-huh!" Peri chirped.

"Uh… Well, we could still go somewhere else…" Laslow desperately tried to salvage this conversation. "It need not be a café, just so long as we may enjoy each other's company!"

The newly appointed cavalier considered this for a moment. "Hmm… Okay! But you have to stop trying to flirt with me! I don't like it."

"O-oh, is that… you thought…" He sighed. "I confess. That was my intention. But even so, I do wish to get to know my new colleague."

Peri nodded. "Okay. Let's go then, buddy!"

* * *

 It was time for Odin to introduce himself to his new coworker. As luck would have it, he was sitting in the halls, eating a sandwich. Time for his glorious first impression. "Greetings, fellow servant! I am the chosen hero from the darkest depths! The moon itself was severed to proclaim my fell birth! I… am Odin Dark!"

Niles merely blinked (winked, technically) as his new coworker struck a pose. "Cowed by my malefic aura? Fear not, friend. I shall restrain my spell hand. You need not- Hey, come back!" Odin dropped his pose, as Niles simply walked away. "I wasn't done reassuring you!"

"This is a waste of time. Didn't Lord Leo give you some… errand or something?"

"Ah, yes! He has tasked me with seeking the fabled Stone of Agony! Said to be found deep within a forgotten house, controlled by men cursed to bear the form of spiders!" Odin explained. "I just thought I'd say hi first!"

Niles narrowed his eye, unsure of what to make of Odin's going in and out of theatrics whenever the sorcerer had finished his sentences.

"Uh, would you like to join me in this quest? You shall be my fateful ally: Zero, Devourer of Delectable Foods!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, Niles is a nice name, but it just doesn't have any… oomph!"

What Odin did not know was that Niles was privy to Leo's distaste for the bombastic mage. This 'Stone of Agony' was made up on the spot, in an attempt to get Odin to leave and never come back, and he fell for it. As such, Niles could only say one thing to Odin.

"I think I'll pass," Niles said. "But tell you what: look real hard for the Stone of… whatever. Because if you don't find it, well… I'm sure Lord Leo wouldn't like that."

Odin grimaced. "Er, no, I suppose he wouldn't…"

"So you should get cracking on that 'quest' of yours. It'd be a shame if you couldn't finish it…" Niles warned implicitly. Odin gulped.

"Well… it appears Odin Dark's reputation precedes him, and has raised the bar for his lord's expectations. But just as well, I shall not let him down!" Odin struck another pose. "And upon the completion of this quest, perhaps maybe then you'd see fit to join me on my next one? Turns out Lord Leo has a bunch of these lined up!"

Niles began to crack up, but restrained himself for Odin's sake. "Sure… Odin. Heh! If you find that- snrk!- magical rock, I'll help you find the next thing…!"

The dark mage nodded. "Very well. Wish me success! I look forward to getting the chance to work with you, o Zero, Devourer of Delectable Foods!"

"Niles."

"I look forward to getting the chance to work with you, o Niles, Devourer of Delectable Foods!"

The outlaw shook his head. "… Close enough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came to me when I realized that all of the Awakening retainers' colleagues were all crazy in one way or another. So I wondered how they'd react to meeting each other.
> 
> The timeline is that Niles was there first, followed by the trio (and Peri), and then Beruka came along much later.
> 
> Also there is a Zelda reference in this chapter. Not a very hard one to find.


	43. Fatherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Xander & Siegbert, Shigure
> 
> Prompt: After Conquest, Xander is lonely over his wife, Azura, and his sons help him out of it.

Some would say Xander was the luckiest member of the family. He was a beacon of Nohrian patriotism. He was spared the horrors of the concubines' infights, and even his ascension to the throne came with little fuss from the citizens. But those who really knew Xander could tell a different story. In general, he was not a happy man. Garon's cruelty and Xander's own acts as a soldier have destroyed the man's sense of idealism. And then, the matter of his wife…

Xander was as obedient as they came, but even he had lapses. Toward the middle of the campaign, he and his former wife, Azura, had sired two boys. Fraternal twins, to be exact. The children had to stay behind in Windmire while Xander and Azura left for Hoshido… but Xander was the only parent to return.

No one ever quite knew what became of the songstress. Everyone had agreed the lovers were at their happiest together- even Corrin and Kaze, whom had known Azura the longest. But minutes after stopping both Garon's impersonator and the possessed husk of Prince Takumi- Azura had vanished. Xander and Corrin spent ages looking for her, yet she was nowhere to be found.

If he had his way, Xander would have stayed in Hoshido until he had found Azura. But the man was used to putting the needs of Nohr before his own. And now more than ever, he would need to finally assume his fated role, and don the crown.

* * *

It was lonely at the dinner table. Leo was busy in the library, Corrin was preparing a goodwill trip to Hoshido, and Camilla took Elise to see a show in Nestra. This left Xander alone with his two sons.

Siegbert and Shigure had grown a lot in the years since the war. Both were blessed Azura's powder blue locks and striking amber eyes. Whenever Xander made eye contact, he felt haunted. As though they were mediums for Azura, to show her that he had abandoned her. Xander avoided making eye contact if he could.

_What a pathetic king. Worse, a pathetic father. To be afraid to face his own children…_

With Xander's duties, as expected, he had little time for his boys. He made sure to be present for important dates and to encourage their endeavors. Yet he could not will away the shadow of Azura. He needed to get through this dinner without incident. "So… I hear your lessons are coming along well," Xander opened. "What are your thoughts?"

"Um, I enjoy them, father. Sir. Your Majesty," Siegbert mumbled. Xander smiled.

"Siegbert, I've told you. 'Father' is fine."

The eight-year-old nodded. "Y-yes sir. Your Majesty."

"The instructor said I was a good singer," Shigure reported. "She was impressed!" He always was the more upbeat of the two.

"Hmm," Xander nodded, trying not to remember Azura's singing as he cut into his food. From there, the dinner continued in silence. It was routine at first, but eventually Xander felt a different kind of discomfort. As though he were being watched.

_They must be expecting further comment._

He tried to find another subject, but the thought died in his throat when he saw the dejected look in his sons' faces. "What's wrong?"

Siegbert looked smaller than usual. "We're sorry that wasn't exciting enough, Father…"

"Huh?" Xander went from discomforted to confused. "What makes you say that? I have an honest interest in my sons' development."

"B-but you never sound like it…" Siegbert countered, which honestly surprised everyone. Feeling motivated, Shigure weighed in as well.

"You always seem… far away. Or something. Like… you don't want to be here. Do you not like us?"

"What? I-"

"You don't enjoy talking to us," Siegbert interrupted. "Did we do something wrong?"

The king's heart dropped right then. He could already recall a similar conversation he had held with Garon, even when his father was still a respectable man. It frightened him to the very core. When that monster had taken Garon's identity, he grew into a distant, unloving father. And now that was how Xander's own children were beginning to see him.

_No. That won't happen with them. How grateful I am to have raised you to voice your concerns. I won't repeat Father's downfall…_

"Siegbert, Shigure, I owe you both an apology." He finally looked his sons in the eyes. "I realize I have been distancing myself from the two of you." He sighed. "When your mother disappeared… it hurt me greatly." The boys gulped, knowing how rarely Xander mentioned their mom. "The two of you... remind me of her so much."

Seeing his sons' hearts sink at the reminder of their mother, Xander cleared his throat. "However, that was selfish of me. You boys don't deserve such treatment. We might have lost someone dear to us, but we still have each other." Suddenly, Camilla entered his thoughts. "I remember telling your Aunt Camilla that, as ruler, I would need to maintain a certain distance from my family. But I've begun to see things differently."

"What do you mean?" Shigure asked.

"One… never knows when they'll last see their family," the king said, his words heavy from experience. "That is why, if you'll forgive this foolish man, I would like to be a larger part of your lives." For once, Xander's mouth formed into a smile, a sincere one. "Can the two of you forgive your coward of a father?"

Siegbert and Shigure beamed, and Xander could see Azura's smile in their own. Yet, Xander already felt differently. Siegbert and Shigure, they were Azura's legacy, a symbol of the bond she had shared with him. In a small way, she was still there with him. With all of them.

"Why don't you demonstrate that singing ability of yours, Shigure?"

"I may? O-oh, but Siegbert's singing is wonderful too!"

Xander turned his eyes expectantly to the other son, whom seemed nervous. "Is that allowed at the king's dinner table?"

His father grinned. "Right now, we're not a king and two princes. I'm your father, and I would like to hear my sons' song."

That was all they needed to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slight AU in that Xander's sons are an appropriate age rather than auto-grown like in the game. The requester didn't seem to mind. It's pretty unanimous across the fanbase that babyrealms are dumb, right?
> 
> Anyway I first worried that I messed this one up. But then it got reblogged with "protect this family" tags a few times, so in Corrin's words - "guess I did it right". Also this piece was named with my other drabble "Motherhood" in mind. (The one with Oboro and baby Hisame).


	44. Mama Kaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Kaze, Saizo & Selkie
> 
> Prompt: "Tell Selkie a bedtime story! Tell how Kaze found Selkie, and Selkie rescued Kagero!"

In Saizo and Kaze's house, Kaze was putting a sleepy fox (Selkie) to bed.

"Aww do I have to go to bed so soon?" the Kitsune asked.

"Well like they say in Hoshido; early to bed, early to catch the worm… Or, is it rice?"

"Tell me a bedtime story! Tell how Kaze found Selkie and Selkie rescued Kagero!"

"Okay, okay…" Kaze hung his head back in recollection. "It all started when Saizo, Kagero and I went to the Kitsune Hamlet for a vacation."

* * *

_"We banished all the Mokushujin from Hoshido, but Kotaro found a way to escape into your father's village. And when we got there, the place was deserted! Then, ninja football players grabbed Kagero!"_

"Wait, I nobody equipped a weapon on me, I want a do-over!" Kagero yelled.

_"Saizo was attacked by a Nohrian wizard, and a rabid wyvern!"_

"… Great."

 _"And I found myself face to face with a ninja with a Wolfskin!"_ The beast charged at Kaze, knocking him off a cliff. "Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaawww!"

_"I fell for hours!"_

_"Wow, hours? Long time!"_

_"Well, it felt like hours anyway. I was falling. Nothing below me but boiling lava! Good thing I found a Pegasus!"_ Kaze landed on the Pegasus, and it thrashed in pain, as it plummeted. Kaze leapt over to a solid ledge, heedless of the Pegasus's fate.

_"Oh! Then Kaze pick up items off ground!"_

_"Okay smarty, what happened next?"_

_"You found me!"_ Kaze walked over and found a fox cub with extra tails. "Mama?"

* * *

Selkie was giggling to herself. "Hahahaha! I called you 'Mama!'"

"Yeah well I didn't think it was that funny…" Kaze muttered.

* * *

Kaze carried baby Selkie in his hands through the cave, when the two of them heard the stomping of Wolfskins behind them.

"Yum, Kitsune!"

The ninja warily narrowed his eyes and stepped back. "Stand down, you Wolfskins. You're dealing with a licensed ninja!"

"Yeah, so?" asked one Wolfskin. "I ate a ninja yesterday!"

Kaze gulped and proceeded to run away from the Wolfskins. They kept clawing at him as they ran, but eventually Kaze lost them in another tunnel, and made his way to the surface.

"Phew. Back in the forest." He set Selkie down. "Okay, I gotta find Saizo and Kagero. You stay here while I catch my breath."

With that, Kaze lied down, and Selkie immediately wandered off. Kaze groaned and got back up, following Selkie further into the woods. The Kitsune was smelling a flower, when Kaze picked her right back up.

"Hey. I told you to stay put."

Selkie's tails began to wag. "Look Mama Kaze, lizards!"

"Stop calling me…" Kaze turned around and saw that a group of wild wyverns were headed his way. He gulped again. "Saizo, wherever you are, HEEEEEEEEALP!"

"I wanna plaaaay!"

"Well I think these wyverns are playing for keeps, so-"

"I WANNA PLAY NOW!" Selkie then leapt from Kaze's arms and did a rolling attack right into the lead wyvern. The dragon wailed in pain and retreated before Selkie did the same thing to the others.

"I'M-A COMIN' KAZE," Saizo bleated in his monotonous voice. He emerged from sudden smoke, but the danger had passed. He glared at the little Kitsune.

"What, this fox is giving you trouble? Pathetic. But all right, I'll kill it for you." Saizo was then jumped by Selkie. "Blaaaah! Great, now I know how a Nohrian feels…"

"Selkie, get off him! That's my brother, Saizo!"

Kaze managed to get the boisterous fox off his brother, and whom himself managed to regain composure. Kaze chuckled. "I guess that'll teach you to mess with little Selkie."

"Mama Kaze!" Selkie nestled herself against Kaze's chest.

"I already told you, I'm not your-"

"Mama? Mama Kaze?! Heh. Heheheh. …Heh." Saizo cleared his throat. "Anyway, Kotaro has Kagero tied up in his underground disco palace. I fought my way out, we have to go back for her!"

"Mama Kaze don't leave Selkie!"

Kaze sighed. "No, I won't leave you. But you have to behave. And stop calling me 'mama.'"

"Mama Kaze…" Selkie fell asleep in Kaze's arms.

* * *

" _So we jumped into a nearby canyon and made our way to Kotaro's new palace, where the bright red and blue floors affected our classes._ "

"Yikes! Why aren't we Ninja Masters anymore?" Kaze asked.

Saizo pointed to a glowing spot. "If we use the Dragon Vein over there, we can change which floors do what!"

"But we don't have our lieges with us!"

"… ARGH! Let's just go…"

**_LOOKING FOR YOOOOOOU!_ **

Saizo and Kaze made it to Kotaro's throne room. From the shadows, Kotaro sent out automata to attack the brothers. They both fled from the robots, until Kaze realized Selkie was not with them. He turned around, and saw the little fox bashing all the automata… after having trashed all the decorations in the throne room.

"Uh… Saizo, I think we're good."

"Huh?"

"My throne!" Kotaro yelled. "My throne room!"

Saizo turned to Kaze. "You didn't tell me you were bringing a secret weapon, Kaze."

"That's Mama Kaze to you, Saizo," Kaze wheezed.

Then Saizo glared at Kotaro. "All right. Tell us where Kagero is, or Selkie will take your castle apart until we find her!"

"I can find another castle, but you'll never find your friend!" Kotaro boasted, holding a key. "Without this key, you'll never find her!"

"Not even with Locktouch?" Kaze asked.

"…Drat."

" _And so, we made our way back to Shirasagi after saving Kagero. All thanks to you, Selkie._ "

* * *

In the present, Selkie was already asleep. Kaze smiled.

"Goodnight, Selkie. Ebebebebebeb."

"…Night, Mama Kaze…"

To that, Kaze shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Kaze and Saizo's birthday (the day this was posted on the blog), I continued the "Ninja Bros = Mario Bros" joke by rewriting the Mama Luigi episode of the Mario World cartoon. I picked Selkie to replace Yoshi because her personality seemed to fit with the cartoon's version of Yoshi.


	45. Shopping... Spree?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: M!Corrin x Velouria
> 
> Prompt: Corrin and Velouria have a dinner date, then at home they have a cuddle moment.
> 
> Modern AU

There was a friendly smile on Velouria's face. "This place is so romantic…"

Corrin awkwardly shifted his eyes around.

"Uh… yeah…"

They were in Lobster Lord Pizza, possibly the noisiest and most chaotic pizza place in town. To its credit, the crowds were not so bad near closing time. Though it was understaffed, especially with two of the employees out on a delivery run at the moment. Still, Corrin knew how much his girlfriend loved this place, so picking a dinner date destination was easy.

"Do you like their napkins?"

Velouria looked up from the task of stuffing napkins in her pocket. "Hm? They have brown napkins here. I like those better, so that's good." She went back to stuffing her pockets. "White napkins look too clean. Like, why use something stark white to clean something? It's just going to get messy, white napkins don't need to pretend they're better than they really are."

People felt that Velouria was a little crazy. Sometimes Corrin himself thought that, especially when they first met. But over time he found himself more interested in her unique views, in the way she saw the world. Eventually that interest developed into a full-on infatuation with the girl. Corrin smiled.

"I guess that's another point in this place's favor."

"Are you going to eat your crust?" Corrin looked down. He had eaten his half of the pizza, but not the crust from two of his slices. He shook his head, and Velouria snatched them away. "Crust is my favorite part."

"I know."

As she gnawed on the crust, Velouria smiled. "Om, nom… Thanksh for taking m' he'."

"Haha! No problem. This place really isn't so bad."

The eccentric woman nodded, as she finished off the crusts, and then used her shirt to wipe her hands. She had a large supply of napkins at her disposal, yet elected to clean her hands with her nice shirt. Corrin quirked his brow.

"Why didn't you use any of your napkins?"

"Huh? That would ruin them."

"That's what they're for, though. You said it yourself, napkins get messy."

She winced, looking defeated. "That… That's true. But I also don't have a lot of napkins or towels right now at home."

"Really? Okay then. Why don't we pick some up for you once we get out of here?"

She narrowed her eyes in focus. "You're serious? _You_ … want to go to the store with me. _Me._ "

Then it all came back to Corrin. Velouria was notorious among all their friends for being an easily distracted, very eclectic shopper. Last month, Velouria need to buy a new pair of shoes, and instead left with several empty CD cases, a gift card for an online service nobody ever used, two toothbrushes, and off-brand cookies. Still, as long as Corrin was there, perhaps he could keep her focused.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

They had arrived at Velouria's apartment two hours later. Corrin and Velouria had paid for the meal and left to Valmart a few minutes after their conversation, and it took _two hours_ to finish their shopping. (Okay, traffic played a tiny role in that, but it still should have been a simple in-and-out trip to the store.)

"You could give Selena a run for her money," Corrin joked, as the two of them went to the kitchen. He looked at the haul. While he internally congratulated himself on picking up paper towels for Velouria, he also berated himself for not keeping an eye on her. Apparently she had snuck off with the shopping cart (which Corrin insisted they did not need), and went off to fill it with random objects.

"I see it as less shopping and more of a treasure hunt," Velouria said optimistically. "Like those vintage cereal mascot shirts."

"Who are they for? Those are children's size, and we don't even know any children."

Velouria focused on putting away the few practical groceries. "They're for me. I can't wear them, but they're fun to look at."

Corrin sighed. That was the most explanation he was going to get. He was not even frustrated. Corrin had come to accept these quirks of Velouria's long ago. It certainly helped that Velouria's tastes were on the cheaper end of things, meaning she went broke rather infrequently.

* * *

After helping Velouria unpack her 'treasures', she ran off to put them in different places in her apartment, something she insisted she knew how to best on her own. This left Corrin alone on the couch, leaning his head back. He had begun to doze off, when he felt something on his shoulder.

"…Velouria?"

"Hey."

She was resting against Corrin. He smiled. "All done?"

"Almost. But you looked like you needed company."

"Heh…"

"Hey…" Velouria's tone became uncharacteristically serious, "thanks for sticking around at the store. I'm sure it got frustrating. Even my friends don't like to shop with me. But I'm glad you did, and you didn't yell or something."

Corrin blinked, concern waking him up. "Do… do your friends yell at you?"

"No. I'm just glad you didn't."

A wave of relief went over Corrin. At least Velouria was not being harassed by any hateful false friends. "It's not a problem at all. It was actually kind of fun, looking back."

Velouria nestled herself against Corrin's shoulder even more. "I'm glad… to hear that…"

Corrin stayed there for a moment. He admittedly did not want to move from his spot, though he had stopped feeling tired. He wondered how long Velouria was going to stay cuddled next to him.

As if on cue, he heard her going, "Zzzz…"

"I see."

Corrin shrugged in spirit (as a literal shrug may disrupt his girlfriend's nap) and allowed himself to remain as Velouria's pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think one of the reasons I took this request was so I could take a crack at writing for Velouria. She's a bit of an oddball, so I hope I was able to capture her essence. The major thing I'm missing is her idolatry of her parents, but we'll chalk that up to AU. The prompt didn't ask for it to be AU (but it didn't say 'no' either), so I thought I'd try flexing my Modern AU muscle once more.


	46. Grandma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: F!Kana & Mikoto
> 
> Prompt: Kana interrupts teatime between her father and grandmother.

"Grandma!"

Corrin and Mikoto's tea conversation was interrupted when Corrin's little girl ran into the room. She made a beeline for her grandmother, expecting a hug. Mikoto smiled and scooped Kana up.

"Hi Grandma!"

"Hmhm. Hello, Kana. And how are you today?"

Kana gave Mikoto one of her signature smiles, the widest and happiest Corrin had ever seen. "I had a lot of fun today! Aunt Hinoka let me ride with her on a Pegasus! We flew so fast!"

Kana was only seven, far too young to be riding on a Pegasus. But Corrin knew that how protective Hinoka was, and trusted her to keep Kana safe. Mikoto chuckled and made her granddaughter comfortable on her lap. "Is that so? You certainly took it better than your father did, when he had his first Pegasus ride."

Corrin blushed. "I-I wasn't sure what to expect, that's all. I'd never ridden any flying mounts before. Not even in Nohr."

"No excuses, Papa! You have to be brave, like me!" To that, Corrin shook his head and laughed. He knew he could not refuse anything Kana said to him. Kana had him wrapped around her little fingers.

"I guess you're right, Kana the Fearless!"

"I am fearless!"

Mikoto rubbed her hand through Kana's hear, smiling. "You're so brave, Kana. And so adorable!"

Kana pouted. "I'm not cute, I'm fearless!"

The elderly queen hugged Kana tightly. "You can be more than one thing, Kana."

"…I guess so." Kana then sighed, but it was an exaggerated sigh. As though it were an attempt to sound adult. "Okay Grandma, you can call me cute. But only you!"

"Hahaha! How generous. Thank you, my adorable granddaughter."

Corrin smiled. Though he did not blame Xander or his other Nohrian siblings, he regretted not being able to spend more time with his mother. At the very least, it was not too late for Mikoto to get to know her grandchild.

"What were you and Papa talking about, Grandma?"

"Oh, just miscellaneous things," Mikoto answered with a smile.

"Mis…laneous?"

"It means we were talking about a lot of different, small things," explained Corrin.

"Oh, okay. Did I interrupt?" Kana had a worrying frown on her face. She was every bit as sensitive as her father. Corrin and Mikoto both knew it. Though really, Mikoto did not mind.

"It's all right, Kana, I always have time for you."

"No Grandma, you and Papa should talk about grownup things. Ooh! I'll talk about them with you! I can be grownup!" Corrin giggled, which prompted Kana to pout. "Hey! I can be!"

Mikoto took on a faux stern gaze. "She's right, my son. You need to take your daughter more seriously."

"O-oh, you're right," Corrin conceded. "I'm sorry, Kana."

"It's okay, Papa. Now you know."

"Haha, I guess I do."

As much as Mikoto loved Corrin, she would always take Kana's side, and they would gang up on him. It was all in good fun, and Corrin truly did not mind. He enjoyed it. He enjoyed spending time with the family he never knew he had, especially his mother. They were able to spend years together, as Corrin acclimated himself to Hoshido once again. The whole family grew closer than ever, especially once Corrin and his wife had their child. It was almost too good to be true…

…

…Because it was.

"Lord Corrin?" Kaze's voice stirred Corrin from his slumber.

"Huh… wh… Kaze?"

"Lord Corrin, you had asked me to wake you up this morning, remember? Today's the day they're finishing the statue in the town square," the ninja explained. That was when it all came back to Corrin. None of it was real.

Kana was merely an infant. And Mikoto had passed away over a year ago.

"…Lord Corrin?"

Tears were streaming down Corrin's face. "I… I need a moment, Kaze."

Kaze gave a sympathetic look. "Another dream about her, I take it…"

"She…" Corrin shuddered, "she'll never get to meet her granddaughter…"

"I understand."

"I'm sorry, Kaze. It just… it felt so real…"

"Take all the time that you need." Kaze left, and Corrin was alone.

Alone with thoughts of the family he could never have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just want to have a nice moment... then ruin it.


	47. Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: M!Corrin x Soleil, and a cat
> 
> Prompt: Corrin buys a pet for Soleil.

"Aaaah! It's so cute, I love it! I love it so much!"

What had happened was that Soleil had been invited to Corrin's throne room. It was not unusual, the young king loved spending time with his wife. No, the unusual part was what Soleil saw when she had walked in. Instead of Corrin on the throne, it was a pink kitty. Soleil wasted no time in scooping it up and cuddling it.

"Meow."

"Haha! He likes me!"

Corrin smiled. "Sure does!" Then the smile went away. "At least, I think that was a happy meow."

"Where'd you find him?" Soleil eased up on squeezing the cat, and had taken to sitting in Corrin's throne. She was playing with the cat's frontal paws while Corrin spoke.

"I actually got him from Elise. Xander's cat had a litter, and I know you like adorable animals, so I talked Elise into letting me keep this one."

Soleil looked up. "Wouldn't you need King Xander's permission instead?"

"Haha! Elise is more protective of Xander's cat than he is. She could probably give you a run for your money."

Content, Soleil went back to playing with the cat and smiled. "Well thank you for thinking of me!"

"No problem, Soleil." Corrin let out a sigh. "It's just… It was a lot of work getting this new kingdom off the ground, I'm sure you know."

"Yeah, I was there."

"And we weren't able to celebrate your birthday…"

Soleil's smile went away. "Corrin, I told you, I understood."

"I know, I know. But it kept bothering me that I couldn't do anything for you. So when I heard about Xander's cat, I had the idea." He stepped closer to the throne, amused at the indifferent look on the kitten's face. "You know… he doesn't have a name yet. I thought you might like to do the honors."

"Huh." Soleil stopped playing with the cat to take another look at him. Its fur was pink, just like her hair. "Well, I had a few names, but I was gonna save them for if we ever had a kid." Corrin blushed, and Soleil chuckled. "You're so easy to fluster! Hmm… I don't know if I want to use it on this cat though. Even if he is super adorable. Let's see…"

Soleil narrowed her eyes in concentration. "Huh… I had another name, but it'd only work if the cat was a girl… Oh wait! That's easy, I'll just make it masculine!"

"Thought of it?"

"Yep!" The pink-haired queen proudly held the matching cat forward. "Corrin, say hello to Oliver!"

Corrin's lips formed into a grin. "It's nice to meet you, Oliver."

"Meow."

Then a thought occurred to Corrin. "Wait… masculine… What would you have named Oliver if he were a female?"

"Olivia." Soleil went back to cradling the cat. "That's my grandma's name. After the war, Dad told me all about her."

"Oh yeah…" Corrin nodded, remembering when Laslow had told him, Soleil and Xander of his true origins, and how he had to return, with Anankos defeated. It was with a heavy heart that Laslow and his wife left Soleil behind. But as the new queen of Valla, Soleil felt she had to be there for her people.

Soleil noticed that the atmosphere had gotten a little intense, so she smiled. "Hey. Corrin. Smile."

"Huh? O-oh, sorry… I was just thinking."

"It'll be fine, Corrin. Mom and Dad said they'd come back eventually. They might even bring Grandma with them!" Soleil looked down at Oliver and smiled. "You should be more like Oliver. Look how relaxed he looks."

To that, Corrin could only chuckle. Oliver looked sufficiently disinterested in the world around him. Then, Soleil turned her gaze to Corrin. "So do we have any food for him? Or milk?"

Corrin blinked. "What? Oh… uh… Well…"

"Aaaah! Corrin! You can't just get a pet and then not have what they need!" Soleil stood right up, still carrying Oliver. "Don't worry Oliver, we'll go see Auntie Lilith, maybe she can milk a cow for you."

"Meow."

As Soleil left, Corrin looked on. "I thought you knew how to milk cows, though."

"Yeah, but I can't do it and keep an eye on Oliver! One neglectful owner is bad enough, Corrin! Don't worry Oliver, I'll take way better care of you!"

Corrin sighed. His wife sure did love small animals. More than him? Probably not… probably…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone once requested a drabble where Corrin buys Hinoka a pet. And now here I am covering someone's request where Corrin buys Soleil a pet. On the blog, we do sometimes get common requests- "(female) is pregnant", "(royal) announces their engagement", "(Nohr retainer) struggles with going back to Ylisse". I wonder if pets will be the next trend.


	48. Party Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Sakura & Takumi
> 
> Prompt: The two youngest Hoshidan royals bond during a celebration.

Takumi sighed.

Here he and his sister were at yet another banquet. He hated it, she hated it, it was one of many things they could agree on. Though they were optimistic at first- they had personal stake in this banquet. Today was their oldest brother's wedding to Princess Camilla of Nohr.

But no. This party proved just as boring as all the others.

Sakura nervously walked up to her brother. "This isn't g-going any better than usual, Takumi…"

"I know, I know." The prince run a hand through his hair. Then he paused. "Hmm… hair… I've got it. We'll light Prince Leo's hair on fire, and maybe we can sneak out in the mayhem."

"Takumi!"

"What? I was kidding, sheesh." Takumi shook his head, but then paused. "Oh wait… you still _like_ him, don't you?" Sakura blushed. "Heh… But seriously, this is boring. At least the nobles aren't flocking to us like they usually do."

The princess nodded. "I wouldn't know what to say if they wanted to talk ab-about the couple… We've seen Ryoma and Camilla together for so long, I'm just used to it."

"Yeah, she's already acting like she's part of the family." The prince looked around the room. "What are our retainers up to, anyway?"

"They've been making sure that nobody gets in uninvited…"

"What? Who's gonna break in? Besides, we could handle it!"

Sakura blinked. "Takumi, you don't have Fujin with you."

"Well… I could improvise." This made his sister giggle. "What? I could!" He sighed and looked around. "Wait… Isn't Princess Elise here?"

"Oh, no…" Sakura frowned. "She and Odin l-left for Odin's homeland. Camilla said that Elise had p-previously sent her regards in a letter."

"I see. So I guess we can't have any more Koto/violin performances?"

The priestess nervously gripped the side of her dress. "No… But, I really don't want to be put on the spot, Takumi…"

"Well, you could just do the Koto by yourself."

"But… I just said I don't-"

"Aw c'mon, you're great at it! At least you have a talent!"

The princess gasped. "Takumi, don't say it like that! Y-you have talent!"

He let out a sigh. "Okay, okay… Ryoma and Hinoka have both been over this with me… I didn't mean for it to sound like that. 'I am an amazing person' after all… I was just saying, you're good at music."

Relief went over Sakura's face. "Well, thank you, Takumi. But... I don't even have it with me."

"We could probably get Subaki or someone to go grab it for you."

"You know we haven't asked our retainers for tiny things like that."

Takumi shrugged. "Hey, I'm sure they'd love to hear it too." He smiled. "Haha, I can already imagine Camilla cooing over her 'new little sister' providing music at her wedding."

"S-stop."

"Hahaha! Remember when she first joined our group, and she just thought you were the most adorable thing she'd ever seen?" Sakura's response was to blush furiously. "So that's what Corrin had to deal with growing up!"

Then Sakura stopped blushing, and began to chuckle a little. "You know, heh, that reminds me of the time I showed Camilla one of your old dolls, heh."

His eyes went wide. "…You didn't…"

"Heh, I d-didn't mean to, but… but it still happened, heehee." Takumi groaned. "One time Camilla was visiting my room, and she liked the dolls on my shelf. But one of them was y-yours. I corrected her when she thought it was mine, without realizing…"

Takumi groaned even more loudly. "That explains why there were a few days in a row where she'd keep looking at me and snickering. And here I thought it was Nohrian haughtiness. I'll have to apologize later… That'll be an awkward conversation."

"Hmhmhmhm!"

The prince raised his eyebrow. "Oh now what?!"

"It's just… I'm actually having fun, just talking to you! And we were so worried about being bored," Sakura said. To that, her brother smiled.

"Hey, you're right. We've just been shooting the breeze the last few minutes, and honestly? It wasn't bad at all. You'd think that after so long together, we'd have run out of things to talk about already."

Sakura kept smiling. "I'm glad we still have each other, Takumi."

"Yeah. We make a good team."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written a little over a month ago on the blog. Why did I take so long to put it up here? Procrastination, plain and simple. I admit that Gray Whirlpool has been taking precedence. And the new Paper Mario game, which was surprisingly good.
> 
> Originally this was written for another mod as their birthday gift. On this website, she's known as Anghelic. Read her stories.


	49. Ghost Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: M!Corrin, Lilith, Felicia, Flora & Jakob
> 
> Prompt: Corrin and his servants take turns writing a ghost story.

"The meeting is now in session!" Corrin declared. The little boy looked around his table in the fortress library. Everyone had arrived: Felicia and Jakob. Though today he had managed to talk Lilith and Flora into attendance as well. It was time for another book club meeting. "What should we read this time?"

Corrin examined the others' expressions. From Corrin's right to left: Jakob sat attentively, Lilith wilted in uncertainty, Felicia bounced up and down in her seat, and Flora was focused on her sister.

"Felicia, do you have something to say?" Corrin asked.

"I do, Lord Corrin! What if this time… _we_ write the book!"

Corrin blinked. "…As in, all of us?"

"Yeah! It'll be fun! We can write the book, and we can all take turns! Father and Flora and me did it all the time back home!"

"Okay!" Corrin turned to Jakob and Lilith. "Is that okay with you two?"

"Whatever milord wishes."

"Yes, that sounds fine."

"All right!" Corrin already had some sheets and a pen ready. He promptly slid them over to Flora. "You can go first, Flora."

"Huh? Err, wouldn't you rather go first?" the older twin asked. Corrin shook his head.

"I want to hear all of your parts of the story first."

Flora shrugged. "Well, okay." She then took the pen and paper. "What should we write about, milord?"

The prince tapped his chin. "Hmm… Let's make it a ghost story! Yeah, and after you write a little bit of it, you can pass it along to Felicia. Then, Felicia, you can pass it to Lilith when you finish, and Lilith can pass it along to Jakob, and then he can pass it to me."

Flora simply nodded. Felicia immediately watched her sister's writing. Lilith looked upward, as if contemplating ghosts, while Jakob appeared to be undergoing some form of meditation.

"I must prepare myself. Lord Corrin deserves a passage of the highest caliber," Jakob whispered.

Lilith smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure Corrin-"

" _Lord_ Corrin," Jakob corrected. Lilith sighed.

"I'm sure Lord Corrin will appreciate whatever you write for him."

Corrin beamed. "I will. Don't worry about it, Jakob."

"That may be true, milord, but you still deserve my best." He narrowed his eyes. "Is that understood, Felicia?"

"Hey! I can tell a good ghost story! Just you wait!"

"Okay, I have an idea," Flora announced.

…

_Once upon a time, there were two children. A boy named Ephraim and a girl named Eirika. The brother and sister lived in a small village, playing and studying as children do. One day, their friend, Ike, challenged the twins to spend the night in the cave in the woods. Ephraim and Eirika were too proud to back down, thus they went into the cave that very night._

_The night passed without incident, and come sunrise, the twins returned to their village. But something was wrong, very, very wrong._

_Their village had disappeared. The forest was there, the rivers were there, but there was no village._

…

_Ephraim and Eirika walked around the woods for a long, long time until it was dark. They still couldn't find the village. So they just kept walking. Suddenly, they come across a house! Ephraim knocked on the door, and an ugly butler answered._

_The brother asked if he and his sister could stay the night, because they were lost and it was dark. The ugly butler told Ephraim and Eirika to wait a minute, and he would ask his boss. After a few minutes, they were allowed inside._

_An old lady was there, and she told the twins that they could spend the night if they do not touch anything. The kids agreed, so they were allowed to stay. But Eirika woke up in the middle of the night, and heard someone crying! She found a girl crying about losing her favorite doll, and the girl asked Eirika if she knew where it was. She looked around, and found the doll under the sofa. Eirika reached for the doll and took it, but the girl wasn't there anymore! Only the butler was there, and he was scared!_

_He kicked Eirika and Ephraim out of the house right away and told them not to come back._

…

_At first, Ephraim was furious with his sister for breaking the rules. But then, they both noticed that the doll was not a doll, but a bar of gold. They were rich! If the two of them could find civilization, they could sell the doll, and live comfortably for a while._

_Then, there was rustling in the bushes. Skeleton soldiers appeared, and began to approach Ephraim and Eirika. Their bones creaked, their jaws were angled in the right way to resemble wicked grins, and they had a horrible purple aura about them. The twins screamed and pounded on the door, begging to be allowed back inside. But the only response was the butler's voice, calmly telling the twins that they had brought this on themselves._

_They ran. They ran as far as they could, not once looking back, for fear that the skeletons would be right behind them. Eirika tripped, and dropped the gold. She called out for Ephraim to help her. But Ephraim saw the state his sister was in. Her leg had been wounded, she would need to be carried._

_Instead, Ephraim recovered the gold bar and ran away, believing his poor sister would get them both killed. Her screams echoed through the woods as Ephraim made his escape._

…

_The boy eventually found a tree with an opening at the bottom. He crawled into the tree and hoped to get some rest for the time being. He eventually dozed off, but when he awoke, the scent of smoke had invaded his nose. He appeared to be tied to stake, as the skeletons formed a mob around him. One of their number spoke for the rest._

_The skeleton spoke of finding demons in their forest, threatening to corrupt their soil, poison their crops, and spread plagues. As demons do, they had stolen the soul of the elderly forest hermit. They had captured one demon, and now they were ready to burn the other._

_For, you see, Ephraim and Eirika were truly demons. The cave was a forbidden, cursed den, and their stay in the cave had allowed them to cross the barrier to the mortal world. That doll or gold bar or whatever it was- it was actually the crone's soul. The skeletons were no skeletons at all, but actually the town's guardsmen. They had captured and executed the demon Eirika, and were ready to do the same to Ephraim._

_And when the fires consumed Ephraim's body, he saw only one thing- his sister's phantom, hovering above him, glaring._

…

Corrin's lip trembled. "I… I don't think I like this story anymore… It's… it's so sad!"

"Whatever do you mean?" asked Jakob.

He sniffled. "It sounds like the twins didn't even know they were demons! And they didn't mean to take the lady's soul!"

Flora sighed. "Way to go, Jakob."

"W-well, Felicia wrote the 'stealing' part!" Jakob defended.

"Really, you've made the story too dark-"

"And now they can't go home again!" Flora winced, hearing Corrin refer to her passage. "They don't have a home anymore!" He looked over at Lilith. "A-and how could Ephraim be so cruel to his sister?" Tears ran down Corrin's face. "This is the most tragic story I'd ever… I'd ever heard!"

The four writers all had the same guilty face at that point. Felicia spoke first. "W-we're sorry, Lord Corrin. We didn't mean to."

Lilith gave him a sympathetic smile. "Hey… It's still your turn to write, Corrin. It's not too late to give Ephraim and Eirika a happy ending."

"Huh? Oh! You're right! I can fix everything!" With renewed determination, Corrin grasped the quill and set off to conclude this tale.

…

_Before the villagers could burn Ephraim, Ike interrupted. He told the villagers that it was his fault the twins had crossed over, he didn't know that this would happen. Ike asked if they could let them all go back to the demon world unharmed in exchange for the hermit's soul._

_The villagers agreed, and took the soul back from Ephraim. Then to repay Ephraim and Ike's kindness, the hermit used her magic to heal Eirika. The three demons went back home. Eirika was upset with Ephraim for what he did, and so was Ephraim himself. He would do whatever she wanted for the rest of their lives. The twins and Ike then returned home and all was well._

_The End._

…

Corrin smiled. "What do you guys think?"

"It's… good!" Flora flattered.

"Er, yes… Top notch," Jakob added.

Felicia scratched her neck. "Y-yeah, good job, milord."

"That was a lovely conclusion." Only Lilith seemed to have any appreciation for this. But Corrin did not care.

"You know, that was actually fun in the end. We should write more often!" And with that, the servants could not help but smile back. Corrin had this infectious positivity about him. Even as he butchered their ghost story, it was worth it to see him happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this for Halloween. I thought it'd be a cute idea to imagine Corrin and his servants writing a round robin ghost story. But then I realized I had to write a ghost story. Not just that, but I had to write it as if five children with their own personalities had to take turns with it.
> 
> But then Corrin, sap that he is, got too depressed by the end, so the servants had to let him "fix" the story.


	50. Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cast: Gunter
> 
> Prompt: Gunter's point of view during the ending of Revelation

Gunter smiled.

Corrin had done it. Against all odds, Corrin had brought together the two warring nations and restored peace. It was a hectic journey, with many high points and low ones. There was even a time when Gunter had tried to end the journey prematurely. Thank the gods he had raised Corrin to be stronger than that.

This really was for the best.

He had been forgiven. It was naïve of Corrin to forgive him, Gunter knew. But that was what Gunter appreciated about Corrin- there was always a second chance. And now that that _beast_ was nothing but a memory, Gunter trusted Corrin and Azura to do right by Valla, and maybe teach those other families how to rule a kingdom.

Gunter was unsure of how he had learned Corrin's true heritage. It merely entered his mind when he first made that pact with Anankos. But that was not all Gunter had learned. This situation certainly explained everything about Lilith. For years, Gunter had wondered about the stable hand's past. To think that she had managed to find Corrin after all that time. With Anankos gone, Gunter wondered if she would tell her secrets to Corrin. Of course, being a newly crowned monarch is stressful enough. Perhaps another time.

Lilith… Gunter was glad she was able to see this through. All of his children did. Jakob and Felicia stayed with their liege to the bitter end of this war, and they would likely continue to serve. They were at their happiest when they stood by Corrin. Gunter was a little less certain of Flora's future. But he smiled in the knowledge that, whatever the maid chose, she would have Corrin's blessing. And Corrin… to think Gunter's own little Corrin would end up ruling an entire kingdom. Or at least in spirit. He figured Lord Xander and that Ryoma would probably work out some arrangement with Corrin in the future.

Gunter turned to leave.

His job was finished. Corrin had become a fine young adult. It was a brand new day, Corrin's day. And Gunter would be content to retire to the shadows and allow the world to continue.

Things were different now. There would be new experiences and possibilities in these young peoples' futures. As for Gunter… he had been sentenced to live. For his family, for Scarlet, for anyone who was not allowed to live because of Anankos. And so Gunter would live. Corrin would protest to his departure. They all would, even Jakob. But Gunter knew it had to be done. Their lives needed to go on, and Gunter… he will welcome a rest. He needed to sort out his own feelings, see what this brave new world had in store for him.

Perhaps someday he would pay his little monarch a visit. But until then, Corrin had their own life to live, as did Gunter. Or all of them, for that matter. The world was about to change, and the real trial would soon begin. As daunting as war and destruction were- recuperation and restoration were easily the bigger ordeal. But Corrin would handle it, just like everything else. And in his own way, Gunter would handle it too.

With one last smile, Gunter left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... think I'm finished with writing drabbles. So I wrote this as sort of a subtext fic and to put me at an even 50. But you see, the drabble blog has been very inactive in the last few months. A few of us would post a token drabble every once in a while, most often I would.
> 
> And... I just got kind of tired of that. Especially because I have a lot of other ideas planned and I don't want to keep resuscitating the blog with a token drabble every few weeks.
> 
> It happens. The other mods just have life things going on, or they have other passions than writing drabbles. That's part of the reason I'm doing this, too. And this doesn't have to be the end. If they come back, I will too. But for now, I'm ready to move on.
> 
> So I hope you enjoyed reading these. I certainly had fun writing them, and I feel like they helped me grow as a writer.
> 
> -P.T. "Mod Jakob" Piranha


End file.
